NEW YORK: The United Nations has voiced concern over the failure of the negotiations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul to reach a peace deal, hoping that the fighting between the two neighbouring nations will not resume.
“Yes, it is, of course,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question about whether the deadlock after four days of talks was a matter of concern for the UN.
“We very much hope that even if the talks are on pause, the fighting will not renew,” he told reporters at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, announced on Wednesday that the latest round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul had “failed to bring about any workable solution.”
The discussions — mediated by Qatar and Turkiye — followed earlier negotiations in Doha, focusing on Pakistan’s demand that the Afghan Taliban prevent their territory from being used by militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), both described by Islamabad as “Indian proxies.”
The main point of contention was Pakistan’s call for the Afghan Taliban to take firm action against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad accuses of using Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The four-day negotiations saw repeated obstruction, provocative language, and last-minute reversals from the Afghan side.
Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Pakistan has faced a sharp surge in terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory. The TTP’s operational networks have expanded under what security analysts describe as a “resurgence” enabled by Taliban patronage.
These attacks have targeted civilians, security forces, and border posts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday issued a stark warning to Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, saying any further attacks on Pakistani soil would be met with a fierce response.
