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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Afghan officials are in Turkiye to hold a second round of negotiations on Saturday, officials said, after recent fighting between the neighbors killed dozens of people on both sides.

The neighbors are embroiled in a bitter security row that has become increasingly violent, with each side saying they were responding to aggression from the other.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that cross the border for attacks, a charge the country’s Taliban rulers reject.

Last weekend, Qatar and Turkiye mediated a ceasefire to pause the hostilities. The truce has largely held, although the countries’ border remains closed except for Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan.

“Pakistan also looks forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism in the next meeting to be hosted by Türkiye in Istanbul on 25th October 2025 to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil toward Pakistan,” Tahir Andrabi, a Pakistani foreign office spokesman, said at a regular press briefing on Friday.

“As a responsible state committed to regional peace and stability, Pakistan does not seek escalation but urges the Afghan Taliban authorities to honor their commitment to the international community and address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns by taking verifiable action against terrorist entities.”

Andrabi said there was a clear message to Kabul to stop the attacks, control and apprehend armed groups, and their “relations could be back on track.” He did not say who was in the Pakistani delegation.

The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Deputy Interior Minister Hajji Najib was leading the delegation heading to Istanbul.

“The remaining issues will be discussed at this meeting,” he said, without giving more details.

Pakistan has been battling a surge in militancy in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Besides accusing Kabul of allowing the use of its soil, Islamabad has variously accused India of backing groups like the TTP and Baloch separatists for attacks inside Pakistan. Both countries deny the allegation.

On Friday, Andrabi said there has been no major full-scale attack emanating from Afghan soil over the last two to three days.

“So, the Doha talks and outcome were fruitful. We would like the trend to continue in Istanbul and post-Istanbul,” he added.

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ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast is voting in a presidential election on Saturday with incumbent Alassane Ouattara, 83, claiming credit for nearly 15 years of economic growth and relative stability while strongly hinting it will be his final campaign.
A former international banker and deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Ouattara took power in 2011 after a four-month civil war that killed around 3,000 people.
The war was triggered by the refusal of his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, to acknowledge defeat in the 2010 election.
Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse, were deemed ineligible to run this year, and the remaining opposition candidates lack the backing of a major political party, making Ouattara the clear favorite.
Announcing his candidacy in July, Ouattara said a fourth term would be one of “generational transmission.” He reiterated the point at a lunch this week attended by journalists as well as his 73-year-old prime minister and 76-year-old vice president.
“We know that the country needs to renew its team,” he said. “It’s not easy to work at the same pace at our age.”
Ivory Coast’s median age is 18.
Young ّّIvorians voice skepticism
The world’s biggest cocoa producer is among the fastest-growing economies in the region. Its international bonds are some of the best-performing in Africa.
Ouattara has tried to diversify economic output, with mining a key focus, while investing in schools and road infrastructure to attract more private investment.
“We have turned Ivory Coast around,” he said at a triumphant final rally in the commercial capital Abidjan on Thursday.
“The country has experienced extraordinary growth since 2011. And this growth must continue.”
Not everyone is convinced.
“We are tired of seeing old people making decisions for us, the younger generation,” said Landry Ka, a 22-year-old student.
“We are young and we want someone who really understands the problems facing young people in Ivory Coast, someone who will come and enable us to find jobs.”
Ka said he is backing Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady and Ouattara’s highest-profile challenger. She is 76.
The youngest candidate in the race is former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon, at 60. He failed to get the backing of the main opposition party PDCI, led by Thiam, who is 63.
“Many young Ivorians express deep skepticism toward the political elite, citing persistent unemployment, economic inequality, and a lack of meaningful representation,” said Chukwuemeka Eze, director of the Democratic Futures in Africa Program at Open Society Foundations.
Hundreds arrested during campaign
More than eight million people are registered to vote on Saturday. Polling stations open at 0800 GMT and close at 1800 GMT.
Provisional results are expected within five days. A runoff will be held if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.
Though Ivory Coast has a history of election-related violence, this year’s campaign has been mostly calm, with scattered protests in numerous locations including the political capital Yamoussoukro.
The government has deployed 44,000 members of the security forces throughout the country and enforced what Amnesty International said was a disproportionate ban on protests.
Hundreds have been arrested, and the interior ministry said dozens had received prison terms of up to three years for offenses including disturbing public order.
Government spokesperson Patrick Achi, a former prime minister, told Reuters that the government protected freedom of speech but was also determined to maintain order.
“Let’s keep stability, and then the generation to come will improve. But at least the economy that went through so much won’t again be destroyed,” he said.