High-stakes peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan concluded in Istanbul on Wednesday without an agreement, dashing hopes for a long-term truce and raising fears of renewed conflict between the two nations. Pakistan's Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, announced the collapse of the negotiations, placing the blame squarely on the Afghan delegation for obstructing progress on key security issues. The failure deals a significant blow to diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing the volatile border region, which has recently been plagued by deadly clashes.
The breakdown of the talks, as detailed in the international media, marks the unraveling of a fragile ceasefire that had been negotiated by Qatar and signed in Doha on October 19. The Istanbul summit, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, was intended to build upon that initial agreement and forge a lasting peace. However, the dialogue failed to resolve the fundamental issues that have fueled the recent violence, which marked the worst escalation since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
In a statement released early Wednesday, Minister Tarar accused the Afghan representatives of derailing the process. "The Afghan side kept deviating from the core issue, evading the key point upon which the dialogue process was initiated," he said. "Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to a blame game, deflection and ruses. The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution." As of Wednesday morning, Afghanistan's foreign and defense ministries had not issued a public response to the Pakistani claims.
Sources familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the talks broke down over Pakistan's demand for Kabul to take decisive action against the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a separate militant group that Islamabad alleges operates with impunity from Afghan soil. A Pakistani security source stated that the Afghan Taliban were unwilling to commit to reining in the TTP. Conversely, an Afghan source reported that the talks ended after "tense exchanges," with the Afghan side insisting it had no control over the TTP, which has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on Pakistani troops.
The peace initiative was launched following a violent series of events this month. The conflict began with Pakistani airstrikes targeting the TTP leadership inside Afghanistan, including in the capital, Kabul. The Afghan Taliban responded with coordinated attacks on Pakistani military posts along their shared 2,600-kilometer border, resulting in dozens of casualties. The failure in Istanbul now casts a shadow over the region, amplifying a warning from Pakistan's defense minister last Saturday that the lack of an agreement would mean "open war." Underscoring the ceasefire's fragility, clashes over the past weekend reportedly killed five Pakistani soldiers and 25 TTP militants near the border.