ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL: (Oct 30) Four days of high-stakes talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have collapsed without a breakthrough, deepening fears of renewed hostilities between the two neighbours after weeks of escalating border violence.
The discussions — mediated by Türkiye and Qatar — were aimed at ending the deadly standoff that erupted earlier this month, but Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed their failure early Wednesday, accusing the Afghan side of “deflection and ruses.”
“The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution,” Tarar said in a post on X.
The Istanbul talks followed an earlier round in Doha, which produced a short-lived ceasefire on October 19 after cross-border clashes killed dozens of troops and civilians on both sides. Pakistani officials said negotiations in Istanbul stretched to nearly 18 hours on Monday, but collapsed over Islamabad’s demand that Kabul take firm action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — an armed group Pakistan blames for attacks inside its territory.
A senior Pakistani security official told Al Jazeera, on condition of anonymity, that the Afghan delegation had “changed its position” under instructions from Kabul, complicating progress.
Afghan media, however, quoted officials in Kabul blaming Islamabad’s “lack of coordination” and “inconsistent positions” for the failure. The Afghan team, led by Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib, accused Pakistan’s representatives of “repeatedly walking away from the negotiating table.”
Despite mediation efforts, analysts warned that the failure of the Istanbul talks could push the two countries closer to a full-scale conflict. “Their mutual distrust runs deep,” said Baqir Sajjad Syed, a security analyst and former fellow at the Wilson Center. “The Afghan Taliban’s dependence on TTP for internal security makes it hard for them to fully sever ties, even under Pakistani pressure.”
The talks’ breakdown comes amid a surge in cross-border attacks, which have killed soldiers and civilians on both sides in recent weeks.
Commenting from the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, US President Donald Trump claimed he could “solve the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis very quickly,” though Washington has played no direct role in the negotiations so far.
Relations between the two countries — once close allies — have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Pakistan, long seen as the Taliban’s chief patron, now accuses Kabul of harbouring the TTP, while Afghan leaders say Islamabad is using the militant threat as a pretext for military incursions.
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