The third round of ceasefire negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan ended Friday in Istanbul without any concrete progress, leaving the fragile truce between the two neighbors in jeopardy. The talks, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, had been expected to formalize the temporary ceasefire agreement reached in Doha on October 19th, which brought an end to nearly two weeks of cross-border hostilities that began on October 9th following Pakistani airstrikes on targets inside Afghanistan.
Led by the intelligence chiefs of both countries—Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), and Asim Malik, director of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)—the Istanbul discussions reportedly broke down over Islamabad’s demand that Afghanistan expel or detain members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), better known as the Pakistani Taliban. Kabul has consistently denied that TTP fighters are operating on its territory.
According to Afghan media reports, Pakistan proposed that Afghanistan accept TTP members into de facto internal exile, a suggestion the Afghan delegation immediately rejected. Kabul’s negotiators pointed out the contradiction in Pakistan’s position—demanding TTP relocation to Afghan soil while simultaneously citing their alleged presence in Afghanistan as justification for prior airstrikes.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid blamed Islamabad for the collapse of the talks, stating: “The irresponsible and non-cooperative attitude of the Pakistani delegation resulted in no outcome, despite the Islamic Emirate’s good intentions. We will not allow anyone to use Afghan territory against another country.”
In response, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused Kabul of failing to curb cross-border militancy, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed that the talks had reached “an uncertain stage with no results” and were suspended indefinitely. “Our only demand,” Asif said, “is that Afghanistan must ensure its soil is not used for attacks on Pakistan.”
The main border crossing at Torkham remains partially open for returning Afghan refugees, but tensions continue to run high along the frontier. With no plans currently in place for a fourth round of negotiations, both sides appear to be preparing for a prolonged standoff.