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Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan concluded in Istanbul without a "workable solution," Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar said Wednesday, marking a significant setback for regional stability after deadly border clashes this month.
Pakistani Minister Tarar said on the social media platform X that the Afghan side "kept deviating from the core issue, evading the key point upon which the dialogue process was initiated."
He continued: "Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to blame games, deflection, and ruses. The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution."
The talks aimed to reach lasting peace between the South Asian neighbors after dozens were killed along their border in the worst violence since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021.
Both nations agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire announced on October 15 following border clashes. The truce was extended through the conclusion of negotiations held in Doha with support from Türkiye and Qatar.
At the Doha talks, Pakistan's intelligence chief, National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin, participated at the direction of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Negotiations in Doha lasted 14 hours, and both sides reached an agreement to extend the existing ceasefire and resolve recent border clashes. A technical committee was established to work out the details of the ceasefire, with its first meeting scheduled for Istanbul on Oct. 25.
"The Afghan Taliban regime has been asked time and again to fulfill their written commitments to Pakistan and to the international community in the Doha Agreement. However, Pakistan’s fervent efforts proved futile due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s unabated support for anti-Pakistan terrorists," Tarar said on X.
"Since the Taliban regime bears no responsibility towards the people of Afghanistan and thrives on a war economy, it desires to drag and mire the Afghan people into a needless war," he added.
"Pakistan has always desired, advocated, and immensely sacrificed for peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan. In the same spirit, Pakistan has held countless rounds of talks and parleys with the Afghan Taliban Regime, but unfortunately, they have always remained indifferent to Pakistan’s losses. Sadly, after sustaining such huge losses of men and material for four long years, Pakistan’s patience has run its course," the Pakistani minister noted.
However, the Istanbul round mediated by Türkiye and Qatar yielded no breakthrough. Afghan and Pakistani sources told Reuters on Tuesday that each side blamed the other for the failure.
A Pakistani security source told Reuters the Taliban had been unwilling to commit to reining in the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group hostile to Pakistan that Islamabad says operates with impunity inside Afghanistan.
An Afghan source familiar with the talks, speaking to Reuters, said negotiations ended after "tense exchanges" over the issue.
The Afghan side claimed it had no control over the Pakistani Taliban, which has launched attacks against Pakistani troops in recent weeks.
Tarar said in his statement that the Afghan government had not provided sufficient assurances on counterterrorism cooperation. He expressed gratitude to the host nations, Türkiye and Qatar, for facilitating dialogue between the two countries.
"Pakistan will continue to take all necessary measures in its fight against terrorism," Tarar said.
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