Pakistan's delegation to continue peace talks with Afghanistan - report

Afghanistan and Pakistan will restart peace talks in Istanbul, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, a day after Islamabad said the discussions had ended in failure.

The sources said the nations had agreed to recommence talks at the request of host nation Turkey. Negotiation teams from both countries are currently in Istanbul.

A Pakistani security official said Islamabad will press its central demand at the talks: that Afghanistan take action against militants using its territory as a safe haven and to plan attacks on Pakistani soil.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harbouring the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group hostile to Pakistan, allowing them to launch attacks from Afghanistan against Pakistani troops. Kabul denies this, saying it has no control over the group.

Both nations agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, but could not find common ground in a second round of talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul.