Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan, but only on "legitimate and mutually respectful conditions" following the clashes at the border between the two countries.
Sharif made the remarks while addressing the federal cabinet meeting, where he talked about the recent tensions with Afghanistan that erupted into a mini-war between the two countries.
He said Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire at the request of Afghanistan, and now the ball is in Kabul's court to decide the matter peacefully. He said Pakistan is ready to resolve the issue at the dialogue table.
"We are ready to engage in dialogue with Afghanistan under legitimate conditions. We told our brotherly neighbour that we seek peace through mutual consultation and cooperation,” he said.
Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday agreed to a temporary ceasefire. Both countries claimed that it was requested by the other side.
Sharif said that several top officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and others, repeatedly visited Kabul to convey Pakistan’s desire for peace and development in the region.
“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, (the Taliban regime in) Afghanistan did not prioritise peace and adopted the path of aggression,” he said, adding that Pakistan had to launch a full-scale retaliatory action as patience had run out after the recent events.
He further alleged that Afghanistan attacked Pakistan "at India's behest", as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in Delhi when attacks were launched. Sharif said the Qatari emir had condemned the entire episode in talks with him in Egypt and expressed his desire to play a role in cooling down tensions.
He said that Pakistan was forced to respond to terrorist activities being operated from Afghan soil, killing innocent civilians and security personnel of Pakistan. He said Pakistan has conveyed its concerns through diplomatic channels, but to no avail.
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