Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a warning to the Afghan Taliban regime, stating that Pakistan would not hesitate to strike "deep into Afghanistan" if its territory is used for terrorist attacks against Pakistan. This warning comes after the recent collapse of peace talks in Istanbul, which Pakistan's Information Minister stated "failed to bring about any workable solution" due to a lack of assurance from the Afghan side.
The four-day peace talks in Istanbul, brokered by Qatar and Turkey, concluded without an agreement on a sustainable truce. Pakistan's Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, stated that the "Afghan side gave no assurances, kept deviating from the core issue and resorted to blame game, deflection and ruses". A Pakistani security official familiar with the negotiations revealed that the Afghan delegation had initially agreed to take "credible and decisive action" against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but repeatedly reversed its position after receiving instructions from Kabul.
Following the diplomatic failure, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif delivered a strongly worded warning to the Taliban government in Kabul. He asserted that Pakistan would conduct strikes deep into Afghan territory in retaliation for any cross-border terrorist attacks originating from there. In a post on social media platform X, he warned that Pakistan "does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding". He directly challenged the Taliban's resolve, telling them to "test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom".
The central point of contention remains the presence and activities of the TTP, which Pakistan alleges operates from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Islamabad has long accused Kabul of providing a "training-cum-logistic base" for the group, a claim the Taliban government consistently denies. Analysts note that the ideological alignment between the Afghan Taliban and the TTP makes it difficult for the government in Kabul to dissociate from the group, despite mounting regional pressure.
The border between the two nations has been closed for over two weeks, leading to significant economic disruption, with goods like fruit rotting in stranded trucks. The United Nations has expressed concern over the collapse of talks, with a spokesperson stating, "We very much hope that even if the talks are on pause, the fighting will not renew". The recent hostilities, which included border skirmishes earlier this month resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides, mark a new low in relations between the two neighbors.