ISLAMABAD: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday offered to play a “fraternal role” in ending tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a day after four days of talks, mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, ended without an agreement.
According to a statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met the Iranian president in Tehran, where the two discussed relations and bilateral cooperation.
In a post on X, the ministry said that Naqvi briefed President Pezeshkian on the border situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In response, according to the statement, the Iranian president offered to play a fraternal role in ending the tensions between the neighbors.
The interior minister conveyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s best wishes to the Iranian president, adding that Iran and Pakistan were partners in regional peace and stability.
The president said that Iran attaches special importance to the relations it has with Pakistan and cannot forget the endless cooperation between the two countries.
The president also expressed satisfaction over bilateral relations, stating that both countries have immense opportunities to promote cooperation.
The talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan took place amid a recent surge in militant incidents in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including attacks in Kurram and Dera Ismail Khan, in which at least 28 Pakistani security personnel, including senior officers, were martyred. In response, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had announced that Pakistan would send a delegation to Kabul, citing what he described as “unbearable” security conditions.
The Istanbul round formed part of a broader effort led by Qatar and Türkiye to preserve the ceasefire and reduce tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier. The process followed a temporary 48-hour truce declared on Oct. 15, which was extended during the Doha talks.
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