ISTANBUL – Pakistan and Afghanistan launched high-stakes third round of peace talks in Istanbul to end months of escalating border violence and restore a fragile ceasefire teetering on collapse.
The tense two-day negotiations co-hosted by Turkiye and Qatar come on the heels of last month’s deadly border clashes, the bloodiest since Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Those skirmishes plunged bilateral relations to their lowest point in years, prompting urgent diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader security crisis.
Pakistan is led by Defence Minister Khwaja Asif and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Asim Malik, and includes top military, intelligence, and foreign ministry officials. Facing them across the table are key figures from the Afghan Taliban: General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) chief Abdul Haq Wasiq, Deputy Interior Minister Rahmatullah Najib, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, Anas Haqqani, Qahar Balkhi, Zakir Jalali, and Afghanistan’s envoy to Turkey.
According to a diplomat familiar with the process, both sides will “scrutinize compliance with past commitments” and attempt to finalize a long-delayed monitoring and verification mechanism for ceasefire enforcement as stakes are high, and a single misstep could reignite violence along the border.
Last round of talks ended with cautious optimism as Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “all parties agreed to maintain the ceasefire and to create a system for monitoring and verifying peace, including penalties for any violations.
But expectations remain muted. Pakistani security officials insist that Islamabad’s stance is unwavering: Afghan territory must never again be used to launch attacks against Pakistan.
