Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks Fail Over TTP Issue

ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL – Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at brokering a long-term truce ended without any agreement, in another setback for peace in the region after deadly clashes along their shared border earlier this month.

The negotiations sought to establish lasting peace between the two South Asian neighbors after the worst border violence since the Taliban took power in Kabul four years back.

Both sides previously agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19. However, a second round of talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul failed to produce any tangible results. The Afghan Taliban were unwilling to take action against the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), the deadly militant group hostile to Pakistan that Islamabad claims operates with impunity from Afghan territory.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, updated the public on the outcome of the negotiations via a post on X, saying Pakistan’s resolve “to continue operations to eliminate terrorists and their supporters.” He said that since assuming control in Kabul, the Afghan Taliban regime has repeatedly been engaged by Pakistan over persistent cross-border terrorism involving TTP and Indian-backed groups, including Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan (BLA).

Minister stressed that Islamabad repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban to fulfill their written commitments under the Doha Agreement, but these efforts were unsuccessful due to the Taliban’s continued support for anti-Pakistan militants. He accused the Taliban regime of prioritizing a war economy over the welfare of the Afghan people, and said Pakistan has long advocated for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. Despite numerous rounds of talks, the Taliban have reportedly remained indifferent to Pakistan’s losses, prompting Islamabad to declare that its patience has run out after four years of sustained sacrifices.

Read more: ‘No Relocation, But Strong Action’: Pakistan slams Afghan Taliban TTP Proposal

Pakistan engaged in discussions at the request of Qatar and Turkey, focusing on a single agenda: to prevent Afghan soil from being used by terrorist organizations as a base for attacks in Pakistan. While Pakistan provided sufficient and irrefutable evidence, which was acknowledged by the Afghan Taliban and the hosts, the Afghan side offered no assurances. Tarar stated that the Taliban repeatedly evaded the core issue, resorted to blame-shifting, and avoided taking responsibility, resulting in the failure of the dialogue.

TTP carried out numerous attacks inside Pakistan, remains unresolved due to the Taliban’s refusal to act. The failure stems from deep-rooted ideological and operational ties between the Afghan Taliban and TTP, dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. Taliban consider TTP an ideological ally, making them reluctant to crack down on the group.

Taliban crackdown on TTP could push the group toward alliances with Daesh, posing a significant security threat to Afghanistan. Observers also note that the Afghan Taliban consider TTP activity to be an internal Pakistani matter and have no incentive to create new adversaries, as TTP has never directly challenged their government.