Afghanistan says China-hosted Pakistan talks useful

April 7, 2026

Summary

Afghanistan said talks with Pakistan in China were useful as clashes since February displaced 94,000 people.

Why this matters

The talks are a rare diplomatic effort to contain the worst recent fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The conflict has caused major displacement and raised wider regional security concerns in an area where armed groups remain active.

Afghanistan said peace talks with Pakistan in China had been “useful,” as the two countries sought to halt cross-border fighting that began in February.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry issued the comment amid talks in Urumqi, in western China, launched last week after an invitation from Beijing.

Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal said acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met China’s ambassador to Afghanistan on Tuesday and thanked Beijing for arranging and hosting the talks. Takal said Muttaqi also credited Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates for mediation efforts.

“Noting that constructive discussions have taken place so far, FM Muttaqi expressed hope that minor interpretations would not hinder the progress of the negotiations,” Takal wrote.

Separately, Muttaqi said that “useful discussions have taken place.”

Few official statements have been issued since the talks began April 1 between mid-level delegations.

Pakistan, which has said it was in “open war” with Afghanistan, carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul. The recent fighting, the most severe between the neighbors, began after Pakistan launched air strikes aimed at armed groups. Afghanistan then carried out cross-border attacks in response.

Even as the talks continued, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of shelling across the border several times, killing and wounding civilians. Pakistan has not commented.

Islamabad has often accused Afghanistan of sheltering armed groups behind attacks in Pakistan, especially Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which took power in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denied the accusation.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on X on Tuesday that the conflict had displaced 94,000 people overall. It said 100,000 people in two Afghan districts near the border had been completely cut off by the fighting since February.

The clashes also disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October after earlier fighting killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected fighters.

On March 17, a Pakistani air strike hit a drug-treatment center in Kabul, which Afghan officials said killed more than 400 people. Pakistan denied targeting civilians and said its strikes were against military facilities.

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