Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks fail amid rising border tensions

Afghan refugees wait to leave Pakistan for their homeland. Picture: H Achakzai/AP

Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have ended without agreement, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown in negotiations aimed at easing border tensions and upholding a fragile ceasefire, officials said on Saturday.

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.

There is no plan or hope for any fourth round of talks. Talks have entered an indefinite pause

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban government, blamed Pakistan for the talks’ failure, writing on X that “the irresponsible and non-cooperative attitude of the Pakistani delegation resulted in no outcome, despite the Islamic Emirate’s good intentions and the efforts of the mediators”.

Speaking during a press conference from the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday, Mr Mujahid said Afghanistan “(does) not want insecurity in the region, and entering into war is not our first choice”, but he noted that “if war breaks out, we have the right to defend ourselves”.

Earlier, he reiterated that Afghanistan “will not allow anyone to use its territory against another country, nor permit actions that undermine its sovereignty or security.”

The two-day talks in Istanbul, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, were the third round of peace negotiations that were viewed as one of the most significant diplomatic efforts between the two neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Despite intense back-channel diplomacy, officials said discussions stalled late on Friday without tangible progress.

Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif told the private Geo News channel late on Friday that the “talks are over” and that the Pakistani delegation was returning home with “no plan for any future meetings”.

He added that the ceasefire would remain in place as long as “it is not violated from the Afghan side”.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of harbouring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for a surge in attacks inside Pakistan since 2021.

Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

The collapse of talks came the night after Afghan officials reported that four civilians were killed and five others wounded in cross-border clashes despite the ongoing negotiations.

Mr Asif said the Afghan delegation came “without any programme” and refused to sign a written agreement, insisting only on verbal assurances.

“They said they would respect a verbal agreement, but there is no room for that,” he said. “There is no plan or hope for any fourth round of talks. Talks have entered an indefinite pause.”

Afghan refugees gather beside trucks loaded with their belongings on the outskirts of Chaman, a border town on the Pakistan Afghan border (H Achakzai/AP)

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s military said it carried out airstrikes on the hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan, killing dozens of people it described as insurgents.

Afghan officials denied the claim, saying civilians were among the dead, and said Afghan forces had struck Pakistani military posts in retaliation, killing 58 soldiers. Pakistan’s military acknowledged losing 23 troops in the fighting.

The violence prompted Qatar to invite delegations from both sides to Doha, where they agreed to a ceasefire on October 19. It was followed by six days of talks in Istanbul, which resulted in an agreement to extend the truce and hold a third round on November 6 and 7 – talks that ultimately failed to produce any breakthrough.

Since then, Pakistan has kept all its border crossings with Afghanistan closed, though it partially reopened the main Torkham crossing last week to allow stranded Afghan refugees to return home.

The closure, imposed on October 12, has disrupted vital trade and transit routes and stranded thousands of people. Hundreds of trucks loaded with goods remain backed up on both sides of the frontier, cutting off one of the busiest economic arteries linking South and Central Asia.

Alongside the border restrictions, Pakistan is pursuing a nationwide campaign to deport undocumented foreigners, the majority of them Afghans. Since 2023, authorities say more than a million Afghan nationals have been sent back as part of the repatriation drive.

Pakistan has also witnessed a surge in militant attacks, many claimed by the TTP, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations.

Although separate from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, the TTP is closely allied with it and has been emboldened since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.