Istanbul, Oct 25, 2025

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Saturday began the second round of peace talks in Istanbul even as Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reportedly continued to engage in aggressive rhetoric by warning Kabul of an “open war” if the talks fail.

The first round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks, mediated jointly by Qatar and Turkey, took place in Doha on October 18-19.

While the Afghan delegation is led by Deputy Interior Minister Rahmatullah Mujib and includes Anas Haqqani, brother of the Afghan Interior Minister Noor Ahmad Noor, Pakistan is represented by a two-member delegation of security officials.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had led the first round of talks on Saturday reportedly said in Sialkot that the outcome of the fresh round of talks would l

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