Pakistan-Afghan Taliban Peace Talks Collapse Without Agreement on Cross-Border Terrorism
Islamabad: The latest round of peace talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban ended without any breakthrough on the contentious issue of cross-border terrorism, with officials confirming that discussions have reached a stalemate.
The third round of negotiations, held over two days beginning Thursday, failed to produce a written commitment from Kabul to act against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants accused of launching attacks on Pakistan from Afghan territory.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a private TV channel on Friday night that the talks had been suspended with “no programme for the fourth round.”
“There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase,” he said, as reported by Geo TV.
Asif expressed gratitude to Turkiye and Qatar for their mediation efforts, noting that while both countries supported Pakistan’s stance, the Afghan side refused to formalize any commitments in writing.
“They wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations,” he added.
He said the mediators had “lost hope” after realizing no progress was possible. “If they had even a little optimism, they would have asked us to stay. Our return empty-handed shows that even they have given up on Kabul,” Asif remarked.
Reiterating Islamabad’s position, the minister said, “Our only demand is that Afghanistan must ensure its soil is not used for attacks on Pakistan.” He also warned that Pakistan would retaliate if provoked.
“If there is any attack from Afghan soil, we will respond accordingly. As long as there is no aggression, the ceasefire will remain intact,” he stated.
Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday that the responsibility now lies with the Afghan Taliban to honour their international, regional, and bilateral commitments to curb terrorism—pledges they have so far failed to fulfil.
“Pakistan harbours no ill-will towards the Afghan people but will never support any actions by the Taliban regime that undermine the interests of Afghanistan or its neighbours,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan will continue to safeguard its sovereignty and citizens.
The dialogue process began on October 29 in Doha with Qatar and Turkiye mediating following deadly border clashes from October 11 to 15. The first two rounds, held in Doha and Istanbul, ended without progress—an outcome repeated in the third round.
