Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Calls for Inclusive Pakistani Delegation to Afghanistan for Talks

Sohail Afridi, Chief Minister of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, called for an inclusive delegation from Pakistan to travel to Afghanistan for negotiations with officials of the Islamic Emirate.

Speaking on Wednesday at the inauguration of a project in Peshawar, Afridi said the delegation should include provincial and federal officials, religious scholars and tribal elders. "In our view, this jirga will be effective, and if this inclusive jirga goes to Afghanistan, the situation will improve," he said.

Islamabad has long claimed that militants use Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan, a charge denied by the Islamic Emirate, which states that Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan's security failures.

In a related development, Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defense announced retaliatory operations along the Durand Line and in provinces including Kandahar, Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, Khost, Paktia and Paktika in response to Pakistani incursions. The ministry said its air forces struck the 'Ghazaband' military command center in Balochistan's Kachlagh area around 8 a.m., targeting command offices and barracks, killing and wounding dozens of Frontier Corps personnel and causing heavy damage.

Over the past 24 hours, Afghan forces destroyed 12 Pakistani posts and garrisons, killing 41 soldiers and wounding 53 others, while downing three enemy surveillance drones. Three Afghan fighters were killed and seven wounded in the clashes.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with leaders of various parties on the ongoing crisis in Iran and clashes with Afghanistan. According to the Prime Minister's Office, Sharif briefed participants on regional security and Pakistan's diplomatic actions, emphasizing de-escalation with Iran and Gulf states. Attendees stressed national unity. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for dialogue with regional powers and neighbors, saying, "Dialogue is the key to resolving tensions in Afghanistan and with neighbors." Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf did not attend.