“Negotiations had failed due to Islamabad insisting that Afghanistan assume responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security.”
According to The New Arab reporting, peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan held in Istanbul have collapsed without agreement, though both sides have vowed to maintain a ceasefire. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Saturday that negotiations broke down because Islamabad demanded Afghanistan take responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security — a condition he described as beyond Kabul’s “capacity.”
“The ceasefire that has been established has not been violated by us so far, and it will continue to be observed,” Mujahid said. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif confirmed the breakdown, noting that the ceasefire would hold as long as no attacks occur from Afghan soil.
The latest meeting followed brief border clashes on Thursday and deadly fighting last month — the worst since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Both nations had earlier agreed to a temporary truce in Doha in October.
Talks in Istanbul were aimed at preventing further violence and addressing the presence of militant groups inside Afghanistan accused of attacking Pakistan. Despite historically close ties, relations between Islamabad and the Taliban have sharply deteriorated in recent years, especially after Pakistani airstrikes targeted the Pakistani Taliban’s leadership in Kabul.