ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan’s interim Taliban government are set to resume high-level peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, November 6, aiming to finalize a joint monitoring and verification mechanism for the fragile ceasefire agreed earlier in Doha — a critical step in efforts to stem cross-border militant attacks that have strained ties between the two neighbors.
The upcoming talks, facilitated by Türkiye and Qatar, follow two earlier rounds of dialogue — in Doha and Istanbul — that ended without a breakthrough but succeeded in maintaining a temporary truce. Both sides have agreed to continue negotiations, despite multiple impasses during the previous five-day round that concluded on October 31.
Pakistan’s security concerns
Pakistani officials say the talks are focused squarely on one issue: ending terrorism originating from Afghan soil.
“The conditions that the Afghan Taliban keep putting forward are meaningless — what matters is the end of terrorism,” said Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “Pakistan has a one-point agenda: Afghan soil must not be used against us.”
Officials in Islamabad accuse the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a banned militant outfit responsible for hundreds of deadly attacks — of operating freely from Afghan territory under the protection of the Afghan Taliban regime. The Afghan interim government has denied the charge, but Pakistan insists on “verifiable action” against militant sanctuaries across the border.
Details of the upcoming Istanbul meeting
The third round of talks, scheduled to begin on November 6, is expected to bring together senior intelligence and defense officials from both countries. Sources confirm that the Taliban’s intelligence chief, Abdul Haq Wasiq, will represent Kabul.
Mediators say the meeting’s core objective is to finalize a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to enforce the existing ceasefire and define penalties for any violations.
Escalating cross-border violence
Pakistan’s military says the recent surge in militant activity has forced it to intensify counterterrorism operations nationwide. According to Gen. Chaudhry, 1,647 militants have been killed in recent operations — including 1,098 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 549 in Balochistan — while 128 Afghan militants were among those neutralized.
He added that Pakistan’s retaliatory airstrikes in early October killed more than 300 fighters, including 206 Afghan Taliban and 110 TTP militants, following a wave of cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces.
“These were precise strikes based on credible intelligence against militants who were attacking our forces from across the border,” Gen. Chaudhry said. “Pakistan’s actions are defensive and aimed at protecting its citizens.”
Diplomatic efforts amid ongoing mistrust
The Istanbul meeting builds on understandings reached in previous rounds in Doha and Istanbul, where both sides reaffirmed the ceasefire and expressed willingness to institutionalize oversight. However, differences persist over implementation and verification.
Pakistani officials say they remain cautiously optimistic. “We have conveyed to Afghanistan that it must either take decisive action against these militants or hand them over to us so they can be brought to justice,” a senior security official said.
The Taliban delegation, led by Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari in the previous round, is also expected to arrive in Türkiye a day before the talks.
Analysts say the talks represent a crucial opportunity to prevent the situation from spiraling into a prolonged confrontation. Islamabad’s position, they note, is that the fight against terrorism must be shared, not tolerated under the guise of political solidarity.
For Pakistan, the stakes are high: renewed cross-border attacks threaten both its internal security and its economic recovery. While Türkiye and Qatar continue to facilitate the process, success will depend on Kabul’s willingness to curb militant activity that endangers regional stability.
