Islamabad: Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have ended without agreement, with the sides trading blame for the breakdown in negotiations aimed at easing border tensions and upholding a fragile ceasefire, officials said.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks following deadly border fighting that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which Afghanistan’s Taliban government said were drone strikes conducted by Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The clashes subsided after Qatar brokered a ceasefire on October 19, which remains tenuously in place.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a private TV channel on Friday night that the negotiations were suspended, with “no programme for the fourth round of talks”.
“There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase,” he said, reported Geo TV.
The minister thanked Turkiye and Qatar for their “sincere efforts” to mediate tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
“They support our stance. Even the Afghan delegation agreed with us; however, they were not ready to sign a written agreement,” he said, adding that Pakistan would accept only a formal, written accord.
“They wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations,” he noted.
The talks began on October 29 in Doha with both Qatar and Turkiye mediating between the two sides following armed clashes between October 11 and 15, which caused human losses on both sides.
The first round ended without any tangible progress, but the two sides agreed to another round on October 25 in Istanbul, which also remained fruitless. The third and latest round also met the same fate.
