Overview
- Pakistan's Foreign Office, which confirmed the talks on Thursday, said mid- to senior-level delegates are meeting in Urumqi to discuss a ceasefire and reopening key crossings to restart trade and travel.
- Islamabad is seeking written, verifiable action by the Afghan Taliban against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other groups it says operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul rejects as Pakistan's internal problem.
- Chinese officials are steering the process after weeks of shuttle diplomacy, with Special Envoy Yue Xiaoyong engaging Kabul and Beijing publicly urging both sides to resolve differences through negotiation.
- Mistrust remains high after Pakistan's February airstrike in Kabul that Afghan authorities say killed more than 400 people, a toll Pakistan disputes, and after new Afghan claims of deadly cross-border shelling that Islamabad denies.
- Border closures and clashes have choked commerce along the 2,600-kilometer frontier, so any agreement to reopen routes like Torkham could quickly ease costs for traders, patients seeking care and families split across the line.