Afghan delegation believes that accepting Pakistan’s demands would be the right course of action
ISLAMABAD:
The ongoing talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have not yielded any breakthrough on Islamabad’s central demand for a clear action plan to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating from Afghan soil.
Officials familiar with the development said both sides held another round of discussions on Monday in the presence of Turkish officials who mediated to bridge differences. However, till the filing of this report, the dialogue remained deadlocked as the Taliban delegation refused to provide written guarantees.
“The third day of ongoing talks in Istanbul is also facing difficulties,” a security source said. “The logical and reasoned demands presented by Pakistan are legitimate, but the Afghan Taliban delegation is not ready to fully accept them.” added the source.
Pakistan has refused to soften its stance, arguing that any cooperation with the Taliban regime depends on Kabul taking concrete steps against the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch militant groups and other organizations that use Afghan territory to launch attacks.
“The message from Islamabad was clear – no compromise with terrorism,” another source said. “Pakistan has presented specific proposals seeking verifiable measures to dismantle the TTP network and prevent cross-border attacks.”
While Afghan delegates were said to be receptive to some of Pakistan’s proposals, officials added that the delegation lacked formal permission from Kabul and Kandahar, limiting the scope of the dialogue.
Interestingly, the security source noted, even the Afghan delegation believes that accepting Pakistan’s demands would be the right course of action, yet they are moving forward as per instructions from Kabul.
“It would be fair to say that they are being controlled from Kabul and there is no encouraging response from the Kabul administration which is creating the stalemate,” the source said. “It appears that some elements in Kabul are working on a different agenda.”
The latest round followed nearly nine hours of talks on Sunday, during which Pakistan reiterated its agenda on one point – that peace and cooperation between the two countries cannot progress unless the Afghan side acts decisively against groups targeting Pakistan.
The talks come amid heightened tensions after Pakistan reported several infiltration attempts from across the Afghan border. On Sunday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Pakistani forces rejected two infiltration bids by Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists from the Afghan side.
“It is important to point out that these infiltration attempts are being carried out at a time when delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in negotiations in Turkiye, casting doubt on the intentions of the interim Afghan government on the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil,” ISPR said in a statement.
Islamabad has consistently called on Kabul to ensure effective border management and to fulfill its obligations under the Doha agreement by denying Afghan soil to militants targeting Pakistan.
Officials said diplomatic efforts continued to salvage the process, but a breakthrough appeared unlikely unless the Afghan leadership issued clear directives to act against the TTP network.
Turkiye, which is hosting the talks and mediating alongside Qatar, is said to be trying its best to ensure that the dialogue yields some positive results. According to security sources, the host countries agree that Pakistan’s demands are reasonable and legitimate.
“The Pakistani delegation has repeatedly made it clear that accepting Pakistan’s demands is in everyone’s interest. The host countries have also conveyed the same message to the Afghan delegation,” the source added.
(WITH INPUT FROM NEWS DESK)
