Ready for dialogue, ball now in Afghanistan’s court: Shehbaz

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan to resolve their conflict, as a temporary ceasefire that halted days of fierce fighting between the former allies largely held.

The South Asian neighbours engaged in ground fighting, and Pakistan launched airstrikes across their contested frontier, killing dozens and wounding hundreds before agreeing to a 48-hour truce on Wednesday. Sharif told his Cabinet in Islamabad that Pakistan had “retaliated” as it ran out of patience with Afghanistan following a series of militant attacks.

“If they want to talk on our valid conditions and want to resolve through dialogue we are ready for that,” Sharif said. “This message has been given to them yesterday. Now the ball is in their court.”

“If this ceasefire is done just to buy time, we will not accept it,” he added.

A statement from the Afghan Taliban Interior Ministry said Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani met senior Iranian officials and told them that Afghanistan seeks good relations with all countries, especially its neighbours.

Taliban blame Islamabad for twin strikes on capital

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Thursday that Pakistan carried out two drone strikes on Kabul the day before.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the strikes hit the city on Wednesday afternoon. The first target was a civilian house, while the second was a market. Zadran did not give casualty figures, but doctors at a hospital said earlier that five people were killed and dozens were injured.