ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan are holding a second round of high-stakes talks in Istanbul on Saturday, aimed at consolidating a fragile ceasefire and preventing renewed violence along their shared border.
The Istanbul meeting follows the first round of negotiations held in Doha on October 18–19, jointly mediated by Qatar and Türkiye.
The Doha round resulted in a ceasefire agreement and a commitment to reconvene in Turkey to develop mechanisms for lasting peace and cooperation between the two neighbours.
Officials from both sides say the truce agreed in Doha has largely held, with no major cross-border attacks reported since.
Pakistan Seeks “Verifiable Mechanism” to Stop Attacks
Tahir Hussain Andrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a weekly briefing that Islamabad’s key objective remains the creation of a verifiable monitoring system to prevent terrorist attacks from Afghan territory.
“The talks in Istanbul follow the talks in Doha. So, in those talks, the basic focus was to stop the terrorist attacks from Afghan soil into Pakistan,” Andrabi said. “And in order to do that, we should have a verifiable, empirical mechanism to ascertain that the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul is taking concrete actions to stop such attacks.”
He added that the ceasefire reached in Doha “has, by and large, held itself,” noting that there had been “no major full-scale terrorist attack emanating from Afghan soil in the last two-three days.”
“We are taking part in the second round of talks in Istanbul with the same sincerity of purpose, with the same sincerity of intent with which we participated in Doha,” he said.
Afghan Delegation Confirms Attendance, Türkiye and Qatar Facilitate
The Taliban-led interim government in Kabul also confirmed its participation. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan administration, said in a statement that a delegation led by Deputy Interior Minister Mawlawi Rahmatullah Najeeb had departed for Turkey “to continue discussions related to the Doha agreement.”
He added that the Istanbul session would “address remaining issues” between the two sides.
Turkish officials said a technical committee in Istanbul would review the details of the ceasefire, including cooperation on counterterrorism, migration, and border security.
In essence, while the Doha talks produced a political breakthrough, the Istanbul meeting aims to operationalise it by defining what constitutes cross-border terrorism, how violations will be verified, and how disputes will be resolved.
Pakistan Pushes for Concrete Commitments and Oversight
In Istanbul, Pakistan is expected to seek concrete, verifiable commitments from the Afghan side to eliminate the threat posed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The agenda reportedly includes dismantling known TTP sanctuaries, arresting or expelling key militant figures, and setting clear timelines and benchmarks for action — such as raids, arrests, and the destruction of safe houses.
Islamabad is also pushing for enhanced intelligence-sharing, cross-border coordination, and real-time monitoring of militant movements and financing.
To ensure compliance, Pakistan has proposed the creation of a third-party oversight mechanism, potentially co-chaired by Türkiye and Qatar, to verify progress and address any violations.
Both sides are expected to discuss strengthening border control, ensuring financial transparency on militant funding, and holding regular review meetings to sustain the peace process.
