Pakistan’s defense minister warned Afghanistan on Wednesday that any new “terrorist or suicide attack” by militants on Pakistani soil would draw a stern response, hours after talks between them in Istanbul failed to secure a peace agreement.

Pakistan’s peace talks with Afghanistan collapsed in Istanbul, with Islamabad accusing India of fuelling tensions, even as reports suggest US drone operations from Pakistani soil triggered the fallout.

ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday revealed that an agreement with Afghanistan was “within reach” during the second round of Istanbul talks but was derailed several times after the Afghan negotiators “backpedaled” following instructions from Kabul.

Shortly before a ceasefire brought an end to a week of violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in which dozens of troops and civilians were killed, a video of a fire at a plaza in Peshawar was shared in posts falsely claiming it was the result of an Afghan drone attack.

Pakistan’s defense minister has warned Afghanistan that any new “terrorist or suicide attack” by militants on Pakistani soil would draw a stern response

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif delivered Pakistan's sternest warning yet to the Taliban regime on Wednesday, declaring that Islamabad would not hesitate to strike "deep into Afghanistan" if Kabul failed to rein in militants using its soil for attacks across the border.

Pakistan talks collapsed in Istanbul, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad has the capability to neutralise any threat. The Taliban condemned Asif’s comments as ‘provocative and irresponsible’.

He acknowledged the Afghan delegation’s effort during negotiations but accused Kabul’s leadership of derailing the talks under India’s pressure.