ISLAMABAD: The second day of the third round of Pakistan–Afghanistan ceasefire talks will resume in Istanbul on Friday, with in-camera discussions continuing at the Conrad Hotel under the mediation of Türkiye and Qatar.
The high-stakes dialogue — which opened on Thursday — aims to finalise a monitoring and verification mechanism to curb cross-border militant activity and reinforce the fragile truce between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s delegation, led by Lt Gen Asim Malik, head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — the country’s premier military intelligence agency — includes senior officials from the army, the intelligence agency, and the Foreign Office.
The Afghan Taliban side is led by Abdul Haq Waseq, chief of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), which functions as Afghanistan’s top intelligence body and is responsible for internal and external security operations under the interim Afghan Taliban government.
Pakistan maintains that its demands are non-negotiable and rooted in verifiable intelligence showing continued militant activity by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Afghan soil.
A Pakistani official told Dawn: “Pakistan’s position is clear. We are seeking a verification mechanism to ensure commitments made by the Taliban are honoured. That includes the handover of all TTP leadership currently sheltered in Afghanistan.”
Officials allege the Taliban have relocated TTP fighters into urban civilian areas — a tactic aimed at portraying any future counter-terror operations as civilian attacks.
Sources in Kabul say Taliban negotiators arrived in Istanbul under strict instructions from Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada — to make only those commitments that can realistically be fulfilled.
The Taliban delegation, according to Afghan media, has been arguing that Pakistan’s security problems are “internal” and that Afghan soil is not being used for attacks — a claim Islamabad strongly disputes.
Ceasefire tested by border fire
The already-tense atmosphere worsened on Thursday when a brief exchange of fire erupted along the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, killing two people, including a woman, on the Pakistani side. Both sides accused the other of initiating the incident.
Pakistani officials said Afghan forces opened fire around 5 p.m. at Tasadaq and Iqbal posts, forcing a swift but “measured” response. The Afghan side claimed it was a “misunderstanding caused by celebratory gunfire” at a wedding. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid instead accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire.
Islamabad swiftly rejected those claims:
“Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our forces responded immediately in a responsible manner,” the Information Ministry said. “The situation was brought under control, and the ceasefire remains intact.”
A fragile process with high stakes
The Istanbul talks are the third round since October, when a temporary ceasefire was brokered in Doha. While the first two sessions achieved limited progress, this week’s meeting aims to set up an enforcement framework that could determine the fate of the entire peace process.
For Pakistan, the talks are about security and sovereignty — eliminating cross-border militancy and restoring trust in border management. For the Taliban, the challenge is balancing relations with a key neighbour without appearing to yield to foreign pressure.
Yet, the stakes go far beyond bilateral tensions. Continued militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan risk destabilising South and Central Asia, undermining reconstruction, trade, and regional integration efforts.
The second day of the Istanbul round is expected to continue through Friday with both direct and indirect formats, as Turkish and Qatari mediators shuttle between the delegations.
Diplomats say the next 24 hours will show whether the fragile ceasefire can be translated into a verifiable peace framework — or whether the border will once again speak louder than diplomacy.
