ISLAMABAD — The two-day Pakistan-Afghanistan talks in Istanbul ended in a stalemate on Sunday after the Afghan Taliban delegation appeared unwilling to take verifiable action against militant sanctuaries of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups operating from Afghan soil. Despite nearly nine hours of intense negotiations, both sides failed to reach an agreement on measures to curb cross-border terrorism.
Pakistani officials said their delegation had presented its “final position,” demanding that the Taliban regime take “concrete and verifiable steps” to eliminate militant networks responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Islamabad also shared photographic and documentary evidence of TTP, BLA, and other groups using Afghan territory as a base of operations.
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The Afghan delegation, however, declined to provide written assurances or commitments, a move Pakistani officials interpreted as a lack of seriousness. The Taliban representatives, reportedly taking directions from Kabul and Kandahar, offered instead to facilitate direct talks between Pakistan and the TTP — a proposal firmly rejected by Islamabad. Pakistani negotiators reiterated that it was the Taliban’s responsibility to dismantle the terror infrastructure, not negotiate with terrorist groups.
Officials said the talks were further overshadowed by reports of Indian ceasefire violations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Leepa Sector and infiltration attempts across the Pak-Afghan border in Kurram and North Waziristan, which Pakistan’s military linked to the Taliban’s “questionable intentions.”
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Mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, the Istanbul talks followed the Oct 19 Doha ceasefire, which had ended a week of deadly border clashes. Despite diplomatic efforts to maintain dialogue, progress now hinges on the Afghan Taliban’s willingness to act decisively against the TTP and other militants threatening Pakistan’s security.