Qatari, Pakistani diplomats hold phone call amid border tensions with Afghanistan

By Sidrah Roghay

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) — Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a phone call from Qatar's deputy foreign minister on Thursday amid fresh border clashes with Afghanistan.

Qatar’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi discussed “bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international matters of mutual interest,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said.

Whether the two officials discussed the latest border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains unclear.

There was no immediate statement from Doha about the phone call.

At a weekly news briefing earlier Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said that during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Doha earlier this week, “regional issues were discussed, including possibly Afghanistan.”

“This is what I can confirm at this stage,” he told reporters.

Afghanistan said Thursday it launched retaliatory strikes against Pakistan, targeting military centers and installations along the border.

Pakistan confirmed that Kabul had launched military operations, calling them “unprovoked action,” and said they were met with an “immediate and effective” response.

Both sides reported casualties on each other’s side, but Anadolu could not independently verify the claims.

The latest clashes follow Pakistan’s announcement last Sunday that it carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, killing 70 “terrorists.”

Afghan officials said dozens of civilians were killed and vowed retaliation.

The UN mission in Kabul said 17 civilians were killed in the airstrikes.

Islamabad denied it targeted civilians.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent months, many attributed to the Pakistani Taliban and banned Baloch separatist groups.

Islamabad accuses the Pakistani Taliban of operating from Afghan territory, a charge the Taliban-led government in Kabul has repeatedly denied.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement earlier Thursday, condemned attacks across Pakistan this week that killed at least nine police officers.