Pakistan-Taliban war: Did Turkey fail to broker Pakistan-Afghanistan peace deal in Istanbul? Asim Munir’s Pakistan Army may attack Afghanistan after…

Pakistan-Taliban war: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had threatened an “open war” against the Afghan Taliban if the peace talks between Kabul and Islamabad in Istanbul fail. According to various reports, the nine-hour talks in the Turkish city ended without any conclusive agreement between the two sides, raising apprehensions that Pakistan may launch fresh attacks on Afghanistan.

What happened at Istanbul peace talks?

As per reports, while no formal agreement was signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Istanbul meeting, both sides agreed upon immediate de-escalation and reducing border tensions.

Reports citing sources said the Istanbul talks took place amid growing mistrust between Kabul and Islamabad, and there were heated exchanges on military, political, and humanitarian issues. The two neighbours agreed upon a “temporary calm” to reduce tensions, which experts say does not translate into a permanent solution, and hostilities between the two sides restart at any time.

Why Istanbul peace talks failed?

According to a report by News18, during the meeting, the Pakistani side maintained its primary focus on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, as Pakistani negotiators demanded the establishing of a monitoring mechanism to stop TTP’s cross-border activities from Afghan soil.

Islamabad pushed the idea of forming a joint patrol team to monitor the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but the offer was turned down by Afghan Taliban negotiators. Instead, Taliban said it could consider “mutually acceptable options” for intelligence sharing, which was rejected by the Pakistani side, the report said, citing sources.

The two sides also disagreed on the issue of Afghan refugees with Pakistan stating that they would be deported at the earliest, to which Taliban representatives warned that forced repatriation would spark a serious humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.

Turkey and Qatar have offered to mediate to resolve the impasse, following which Kabul and Islamabad agreed to set up a joint trade-security working group to ensure phased trade resumption and security assurances, marking a major diplomatic victory for Ankara, which has been a quiet mediator so far.

What did Taliban say?

As per intelligence sources, the talks are a part of a “strategic ploy” by Islamabad to provide a temporary respite to Pakistan armed forces, and allow them to reassess their strategy to combat the TTP on the domestic front, News18 reported.

Following the Istanbul talks, Taliban has dismissed Pakistan’s allegations as “politically motivated”, claiming that it hasn’t granted sanctuary to any Pakistan Taliban terrorist in Afghanistan.

Will Pakistan attack Afghanistan?

Notably, ahead of the talks in Istanbul, Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had warned that Islamabad would fight an “open war” with the Afghan Taliban if talks with Kabul do not yield desirable results.

Talking to reporters ahead of the second round of peace talks between Kabul and Islamabad in Turkey’s Istanbul, Khawaja Asif noted there had been no incidents or clashes in recent days, which suggests the Doha agreement has been “somewhat effective”, but stressed that the Istanbul talks will determine whether peace between the two countries will hold.

“I’m not under any illusions, but what I see is that they want peace. We have an option. If there’s no agreement, we will fight them in open war,” the Pakistani defence minister said.

Now, after the talks ended without any formal agreement, experts fear that the Pakistan Army led by its chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, may launch a fresh attacks against the TTP inside Afghanistan, which could trigger a war-like situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.