‘Instead of accepting…’: Pakistan says peace talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban government failed without any ‘workable solution’

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan held in Istanbul had ended without any “workable solution” despite mediation by Qatar and Turkey. The discussions were meant to bring long-term peace after recent deadly clashes along the border, but they failed to reach an agreement. The talks began on October 25 to stop further violence after dozens of people were killed earlier this month. However, Tarar said the Afghan side kept avoiding the main issue that the talks were supposed to address.

“The Afghan side kept deviating from the core issue, evading the key point upon which the dialogue process was initiated,” Tarar said in a statement early on Wednesday.

“Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to a blame game, deflection and ruses. The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution,” the statement added.

He accused the Taliban of being “indifferent to Pakistan’s losses” even though “Pakistan has always desired, advocated and immensely sacrificed for peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan.”

Earlier, both countries had agreed to a temporary ceasefire on October 19, with the help of Qatar. But in the second round of talks in Istanbul, which was also supported by Turkey and Qatar, they could not reach a final peace deal and blamed each other for the failure.

A Pakistani security official told Reuters that the Taliban did not agree to act against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a militant group that, according to Islamabad, operates freely inside Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a Taliban official said the talks ended after heated exchanges, adding that the Afghan side told Pakistan it had no control over the TTP, which has recently attacked Pakistani soldiers.

The clashes in October began after Pakistan carried out air strikes in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan, targeting the chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In retaliation, the Taliban launched attacks on Pakistani military posts along the 2,600-km border shared by the two countries.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that while he believed Afghanistan wanted peace, the failure of the Istanbul talks could lead to an “open war.”

Despite a ceasefire being in place, fresh fighting erupted over the weekend, leaving five Pakistani soldiers and 25 TTP militants dead near the border, the Pakistani military confirmed on Sunday.