By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD The Foreign Office on Sunday said the Afghan Taliban had used recent negotiations only to extend a fragile border truce without taking verifiable steps against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, days after Turkey- and Qatar-mediated talks collapsed without resolution.
The statement came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country’s foreign minister, defence minister and intelligence chief would visit Islamabad next week to address the escalating tensions between the two neighbours.
“Anyone following the talks held under the mediation of brotherly countries of Turkiye and Qatar, could easily discern that the Taliban regime was only interested in prolonging the temporary ceasefire, but without taking concrete and verifiable actions against the TTP/FaK (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan/Fitna-al-Khawarij) and BLA/FaH (Balochistan Liberation Army/Fitna-al-Hindustan) elements present on Afghan soil,” the Foreign Office said in its lengthy release.
Fitna-al-Khawarij is the term used by Pakistani authorities for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna-al-Hindustan designates Balochistan-based militant groups, with Islamabad alleging Indian involvement in destabilising activities.
The statement underscored the deepening rift, with the Foreign Office charging that the Afghan side resorted to “hypothetical accusations and jingoistic rhetoric” rather than addressing Pakistan’s core demands. “Instead of finding solutions to address Pakistan’s core concern, [the] Afghan regime used the opportunity to malign Pakistan through hypothetical accusations and jingoistic rhetoric,” the statement added. “It prolonged discussions and engaged in futile arguments to stonewall the efforts at reaching any concrete understanding.”
Erdogan disclosed the planned visit by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin while speaking to reporters on his flight returning from Azerbaijan. The delegation’s trip signals Turkey’s continued role as a mediator amid the impasse.
The negotiations, which aimed to establish mechanisms for monitoring and preventing cross-border terrorism, broke down on Friday in Istanbul, where the third round was held. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared the talks “over” and in an “indefinite phase,” saying the Afghan delegation arrived “without any programme” and refused a written agreement. “They said that they would only respect the verbal agreement, but there is no room to do that,” Asif said. “The moment there is a ceasefire violation from their side, we will respond befittingly.”
A History of Harboring and Hostilities
The Foreign Office traced the militants’ presence in Afghanistan to Pakistan’s 2015 military campaign. “In the aftermath of Pakistan’s ‘Operation Zarb-i-Azb’ in 2015, terrorists belonging to the so-called TTP/FaK fled to Afghanistan,” the statement read. “They abetted [the] Afghan Taliban in their fight against the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and [the] Afghan Government of the time. These terrorists and their families are now being harboured by [the] Taliban regime as a payback for their allegiance to Afghan Taliban.”
Since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, Pakistan has seen a surge in attacks from Afghan territory, the Foreign Office noted, adding that Islamabad showed restraint despite the provocations. “Pakistan’s expectation was that with [the] passage of time, [the] Taliban regime would be able to control these attacks and take concrete actions against the TTP/FaK elements present on Afghan soil,” it said.
Despite gestures like humanitarian aid, trade facilitation and advocacy for global engagement with the Taliban, the response has been “hollow promises and inaction,” the statement asserted. “However, despite all these positive gestures by Pakistan in terms of trade, humanitarian assistance, educational and medical visas facilitation and efforts at international forums to encourage the international community to engage with [the] Taliban regime in the interest of regional peace and stability, and for the socio-economic development of Afghanistan and its people, the response from the Taliban regime has only been hollow promises and inaction.”
Pakistan demands the handover of these terrorists, but Kabul has demurred, citing limited control. “More than being a matter of capability, it has become a matter of intent of [the] Taliban regime. Empty hopes and hollow promises rendered by Taliban regime so far have already outlived their efficacy,” the Foreign Office said.
It rejected the Taliban’s portrayal of militants as refugees, calling it “a ploy to frame terrorists as refugees.” “[The] Taliban regime is also trying to portray the TTP/FaK and BLA/FaH elements as refugees in Afghanistan. This is not a humanitarian or a refugee issue, but a ploy to frame terrorists as refugees,” the statement said. Kabul, it added, has sought to “confuse the main issue with other relatively irrelevant and hypothetical issues” and evade its obligations.
Countering Propaganda and Internal Divisions
The Foreign Office dismissed Taliban efforts to highlight purported disagreements within Pakistan on Afghan policy. “Irrespective of this misleading propaganda, there is absolute clarity among the people of Pakistan that the ordinary people of Pakistan are the biggest victims of the terrorist activities by elements hiding in Afghanistan and their abettors,” it said, affirming the armed forces’ readiness to protect citizens. It also rebuffed attempts to stir Pashtun nationalism. “It is a historical fact that Pashtoons in Pakistan are a vibrant part of the society and the state, holding leadership positions across the spectrum of polity and bureaucracy,” the statement read. “More … Pashtoons live in Pakistan than in Afghanistan … therefore, instead of instigating pashtoonism in Pakistan, it would be wise for [the] Taliban regime to look into its own credentials of inclusivity of all segments of its population in its governance structures.”
Within the Taliban, a “strong lobby, with monetary support from foreign actors that has been tasked to stoke tensions,” is at play, the Foreign Office said. “In search for legitimacy and to unite their fractious government, certain elements in [the] Taliban regime, anti-Pakistan terrorist elements and their abettors have found raising the bogey of Pakistan quite useful,” it added. “These elements have engaged in abuses and outrageous allegations against Pakistan. By doing so, they are fast eroding whatever goodwill they had within Pakistan.”
The Path of Talks and Clashes
Tensions ignited on Oct. 11 with an attack on Pakistan from Afghanistan, following Taliban claims of Pakistani airstrikes, which Islamabad has not addressed. Skirmishes ensued, including Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps, until the Oct. 15 ceasefire. Initial talks in Doha yielded the truce and a commitment to further dialogue. A second round in Istanbul on Oct. 25 ended without progress. Mediators extended the process, leading to the third round in Istanbul starting Thursday.
Pakistan’s team, led by Lt. Gen. Asim Malik of Inter-Services Intelligence, presented “evidence-based, justified and logical demands”. The Afghan delegation, headed by Abdul Haq Waseq and including Suhail Shaheen, Anas Haqqani and Deputy Interior Minister Rehmatullah Najib, described Pakistan’s proposals as “unrealistic and aggressive”. The session endured a border firefight on Friday that killed two, including a woman, at the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing. No direct meetings occurred that day; mediators relayed positions. Some Pakistani officials lingered in Istanbul to explore revival, but the atmosphere was “not positive”. Pakistan remains open to talks with any Kabul government but not terrorists, the Foreign Office stressed, vowing to safeguard sovereignty and viewing terrorist abettors as unfriendly.
Broader Regional Involvement
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi phoned counterparts Ishaq Dar and Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday, offering aid to ease differences, per Iran’s IRNA agency. “Expressing concern about the current situation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he emphasised the need for continued dialogue between the two sides with the cooperation of influential countries in the region to resolve differences and reduce tension, and announced the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran to provide any kind of assistance to achieve this goal,” IRNA reported. Dar emphasised regional stability, and consultations will continue.
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