Pakistan announces failure of peace talks with Afghanistan
Pakistan announced on Wednesday that peace talks with Afghanistan, hosted in Turkey, have failed despite hopes of establishing a lasting truce between the two neighboring countries.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the negotiations, aimed at achieving a long-term ceasefire between Islamabad and Kabul, concluded in Istanbul without reaching “any practical solution,” dealing a blow to regional peace efforts following deadly border clashes earlier in October.
The talks sought to secure lasting peace between the two nations after weeks of deadly confrontations along their shared border — the worst violence since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
In a statement released early Wednesday, Tarar accused the Afghan delegation of “straying from the core issue” and “evading the main point on which the dialogue process was initiated.”
“Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban government resorted to blame games, denial, and evasive tactics. As a result, the dialogue failed to produce any practical outcome,” he said.
The Afghan Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense have yet to respond to Tarar’s remarks.
According to Afghan and Pakistani sources cited by Reuters, both sides had initially agreed to extend the ceasefire reached in Doha on October 19. However, the second round of talks, mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul, ended without agreement, as each side blamed the other for the breakdown.
A Pakistani security official said the Afghan Taliban refused to commit to curbing the activities of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an anti-Pakistan militant group allegedly operating freely within Afghanistan.
An Afghan source familiar with the talks described the session as ending in a “tense exchange,” noting that Kabul’s representatives claimed they had no control over the TTP, which has carried out several attacks on Pakistani forces in recent weeks.
Tensions escalated earlier this month after Pakistani airstrikes targeted Kabul and other areas, aiming at the TTP leader. In retaliation, the Taliban launched attacks on Pakistani military positions along the 2,600-kilometer border, deepening the already fragile security situation.
The collapse of these talks underscores the enduring mistrust and historical rivalries between the two countries, casting doubt on the prospects for lasting peace in the region.
