Urgent Doha talks called: Pak sends top officials to meet Afghan Taliban

Pakistan connected Saturday announced that elder officials volition question to Qatar for talks with Afghanistan, conscionable hours aft launching deadly airstrikes wrong Afghanistan that killed astatine slightest 10 people, including 3 cricketers, and broke a two-day ceasefire on the tense border.Pakistan's authorities tv said defence curate Khawaja Asif and quality main wide Asim Malik were heading to Doha to conscionable Taliban representatives successful a bid to defuse rising tensions.

"Defence curate Khawaja Asif and quality main wide Asim Malik volition beryllium heading to Doha contiguous for talks with the Afghan Taliban," the authorities tv announced, without offering further details.Following Pakistan's announcement, Taliban authorities besides confirmed the talks. "A high-level delegation from the Islamic Emirate, led by Defense Minister Mohammed Yaqub, near for Doha today," Afghan Taliban authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said connected X.

According to Tolo News, Pakistan's subject conducted a bid of airstrikes successful Afghanistan's southeastern Paktika province, striking residential areas successful the Urgun and Barmal districts. Local sources reported important civilian casualties, saying the bombings flattened homes and killed women, children, and young athletes.

The onslaught breached a 48-hour ceasefire that had brought uncommon calm to the borderline aft days of fierce cross-border clashes.

In a determination that drew crisp criticism, the strikes came adjacent arsenic Pakistan had requested an hold of the truce until the decision of the Doha talks aimed astatine preventing further escalation.Sources told Tolo News that Kabul agreed to widen the ceasefire astatine Islamabad's petition — a determination rendered meaningless wrong hours of the bombing.

The fallout extended beyond politics, with Afghanistan's cricket fraternity plunged into mourning. National squad skipper Rashid Khan condemned the strikes, confirming that 3 Afghan cricketers were among the dead."I americium profoundly saddened by the nonaccomplishment of civilian lives successful the caller Pakistani aerial strikes connected Afghanistan. A calamity that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their federation connected the satellite stage," Rashid wrote connected X."It is perfectly immoral and barbaric to people civilian infrastructure. These unjust and unlawful actions correspond a sedate usurpation of quality rights and indispensable not spell unnoticed. In airy of the precious guiltless souls lost, I invited the ACB's determination of withdrawing from upcoming fixtures against Pakistan. I basal with our radical astatine this hard time, our nationalist dignity indispensable travel earlier each else," helium added.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced it was withdrawing from the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I bid involving Pakistan, scheduled for precocious November, calling the determination a motion of respect to the victims."In effect of this tragic incidental and arsenic a motion of respect to the victims, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to retreat from participating successful the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, scheduled to beryllium played successful precocious November," the committee said successful a statement.