Pakistan Bans Direct Negotiations with Taliban

Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, announced that no one is permitted to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government.

In a strong response, Asif condemned recent remarks by Ali Amin Gandapur, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who suggested he was negotiating directly with Taliban officials.

Pakistani media reported that the Defense Minister viewed the Chief Minister’s move for direct negotiations with the Taliban as an attack on the country’s federal system.

Gandapur had stated that he was engaging directly with Taliban officials in Afghanistan and expressed disinterest in Islamabad’s policies.