Afghanistan-Pakistan talks end in stalemate

Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at easing a tense standoff have ended without agreement, according to Islamabad’s officials. The talks in Türkiye followed an earlier round in Doha that produced a ceasefire on October 19, after deadly clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Taliban said it had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in the fighting, while Islamabad said it had seized 19 Afghan frontier posts. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X that he was disappointed by the outcome of the talks, accusing the Afghan delegation of using “deflection and ruses.” “The dialogue thus failed to produce any workable solution,” he said. According to Pakistani security officials, the negotiations on Monday lasted for nearly 18 hours, but ultimately stalled. The officials claimed that the Afghan delegation changed its stance on a key demand from Islamabad: that Kabul take action against the outlawed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). An official cited by Al Jazeera stated that the Afghan team’s instructions from Kabul were hindering progress in the negotiations. On Sunday, as talks continued with mediators from Qatar and Türkiye, Afghanistan submitted a draft agreement to the Pakistani side calling for “non-violation of Afghanistan’s territory and airspace” and pledging to prevent the use of Pakistani soil by Taliban opponents, according to sources cited by Afghanistan International. On Wednesday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif accused Kabul of acting as a “tool for New Delhi” to spread violence in Pakistan. Speaking to Geo News, as cited by NDTV, he claimed India was using Afghanistan to wage a low-intensity conflict, saying “India is compensating for its defeat on the western border through Kabul. The junta there has elements that have visited India and their temples,” he said.

Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at easing a tense standoff have ended without agreement, according to Islamabad’s officials.

The talks in Türkiye followed an earlier round in Doha that produced a ceasefire on October 19, after deadly clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Taliban said it had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in the fighting, while Islamabad said it had seized 19 Afghan frontier posts.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X that he was disappointed by the outcome of the talks, accusing the Afghan delegation of using “deflection and ruses.” “The dialogue thus failed to produce any workable solution,” he said.

According to Pakistani security officials, the negotiations on Monday lasted for nearly 18 hours, but ultimately stalled. The officials claimed that the Afghan delegation changed its stance on a key demand from Islamabad: that Kabul take action against the outlawed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). An official cited by Al Jazeera stated that the Afghan team’s instructions from Kabul were hindering progress in the negotiations.

On Sunday, as talks continued with mediators from Qatar and Türkiye, Afghanistan submitted a draft agreement to the Pakistani side calling for “non-violation of Afghanistan’s territory and airspace” and pledging to prevent the use of Pakistani soil by Taliban opponents, according to sources cited by Afghanistan International.

On Wednesday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif accused Kabul of acting as a “tool for New Delhi” to spread violence in Pakistan. Speaking to Geo News, as cited by NDTV, he claimed India was using Afghanistan to wage a low-intensity conflict, saying “India is compensating for its defeat on the western border through Kabul. The junta there has elements that have visited India and their temples,” he said.