KEY POINTS
- Afghan Taliban tried to use the Istanbul talks only to prolong a temporary ceasefire without acting against terrorist groups.
- Foreign Office Spokesperson said terrorist attacks in Pakistan had sharply increased since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.
- Islamabad said it joined the talks in good faith to address cross-border terrorism but received only “hollow promises and inaction.”
- Pakistan reiterated its demand that the Taliban hand over TTP and BLA terrorists.
The spokesperson said Pakistan would not negotiate with terrorist groups and warned against Taliban attempts to stir tensions. - Pakistan said dialogue with Taliban could continue only after verifiable action against terrorists based in Afghanistan.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson said on Sunday that the Afghan Taliban participated in last week’s Istanbul talks only to prolong a temporary ceasefire between the two countries, without taking any action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.
Talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban followed weeks of shuttle diplomacy after deadly border clashes last month plunged relations between the two neighbours to their lowest point since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
On Friday, the talks collapsed, with Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying that the negotiations “entered an indefinite phase”, but a temporary ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad still stands.
In a detailed statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson said the third round of Pakistan-Afghan Taliban talks, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, concluded in Istanbul on 7 November 2025. Pakistan thanked Turkiye and Qatar for their mediation efforts.
The spokesperson said Pakistan had engaged in the talks in good faith to address the “core issue of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil against Pakistan.”
The Foreign Office Spokesperson said that since the Afghan Taliban regime took power in August 2021 there had been a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan originating from Afghanistan. The spokesperson said Pakistan had suffered military and civilian casualties but had exercised maximum restraint and avoided retaliation.
Expectations and inaction
Pakistan said it had expected the Taliban regime to control terrorist attacks and to take concrete steps against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists present on Afghan soil. The statement recalled Pakistan’s efforts to engage with Afghanistan positively, including trade concessions, humanitarian assistance, and facilitation of educational and medical visas.
Despite those gestures, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the Afghan Taliban’s response had been “hollow promises and inaction.”
The spokesperson said that the Afghan side is avoiding concrete and verifiable measures and seeking to confuse the main issue with irrelevant matters, and of attempting to develop narratives that absolve the regime of responsibility.
Talks intended to implement Doha understandings
Pakistan said the first round of talks in Doha produced an understanding on the principles of cooperation and responsibility, and that Pakistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire as a result.
The second round in Istanbul, Pakistan said, was meant to devise an implementation mechanism for the Doha measures.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said that the Afghan Taliban representatives at the second round avoided taking measures on the ground and tried to back out of commitments made in Doha.
The Spokesperson added that the Afghan side vitiated the atmosphere with accusatory media statements. Pakistan said it remained firm on its demand for concrete, verifiable action and for an effective monitoring mechanism.
At the third round, Pakistan said it again sought a constructive focus on a monitoring mechanism. The spokesperson said that the Afghan side tried to dilute the focus on terrorism by expanding the scope of engagement and raising hypothetical allegations and unfounded claims.
Prolonging temporary ceasefire
The Foreign Office spokesperson said that the Taliban regime was interested only in prolonging the temporary ceasefire without taking action against TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists present in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office stated that the Afghan side tried to use the talks to malign Pakistan, prolong discussions, and engage in futile arguments that stonewalled efforts to reach concrete understandings.
The statement said the Taliban regime was trying to misrepresent Pakistani terrorists in Afghanistan as refugees. It called that a ploy to reframe terrorists as refugees and not a humanitarian issue.
Demands, returns and border conditions
Pakistan reiterated its demand that the Taliban hand over terrorists to Pakistan. The spokesperson said the Taliban had repeatedly refused, citing lack of control, and that the question was increasingly one of intent rather than capability.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan was ready to receive any Pakistani living in Afghanistan and their families, provided they were handed over at the border crossings of Torkham or Chaman and not “hurled across the border, fully equipped with sophisticated weapons and equipment.”
Pakistan rejects talks with terrorist groups
The spokesperson stressed that Pakistan has never shunned dialogue with any Kabul government. He said, however, that Pakistan would not hold dialogue with terrorist groups such as the TTP or BLA.
Pakistan said there were elements within the Taliban who did not want confrontation with Pakistan. But said that the existence of a strong lobby within the Taliban, supported monetarily by foreign actors, sought to stoke tensions.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said some Taliban elements, together with anti-Pakistan terrorists and their abettors, had engaged in abuses and accusations that had eroded any goodwill in Pakistan.
The statement said Taliban elements were attempting to suggest disagreement within Pakistan over Afghan policy.
Pakistan rejected that narrative and said the public uniformly recognised that ordinary Pakistanis were the biggest victims of terrorist activity emanating from Afghanistan.
Security, sacrifices and resolve
The Foreign Office spokesperson praised the sacrifices of Pakistan’s armed forces in the war on terror. He said the armed forces would continue to protect Pakistan and had the full support of the nation.
Pakistan said it was fully cognisant and capable of dealing with internal problems and had repeatedly asked the Taliban regime to desist from supporting terrorists.
The spokesperson asserted that there had been an evidence-based and well-documented sharp rise in terrorism emanating from Afghanistan since August 2021. He said the Taliban regime could neither deny this reality nor absolve itself of responsibility.
Pakistan accused elements in the Taliban of trying to instigate Pashtoon nationalism in Pakistan. The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pashtoons were a vibrant part of Pakistan and noted that more Pashtoons live in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. He urged the Taliban regime to examine its own inclusivity.
The spokesperson added that while the Taliban labelled terrorism as Pakistan’s internal issue, they failed to mention that some in Afghanistan had issued fatwas legitimising attacks on Pakistan. He said terrorist groups operating inside Pakistan now included large numbers of Afghan nationals.
Dialogue only after action
The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan remains committed to resolving bilateral differences through dialogue.
However, the spokesperson insisted that terrorism emanating from Afghanistan must be addressed first.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan’s armed forces and people were determined to eliminate terrorism from Pakistani soil and to act against its supporters, abettors and financiers.
A temporary ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad nevertheless remained in place, the Foreign Office noted.
