Afghan delegation believes accepting Pakistan’s demands would be the right way forward
ISLAMABAD:
The ongoing talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have failed to produce any progress on Islamabad’s key demand for a clear action plan to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating from Afghan soil.
Officials familiar with the matter said the two sides held a new round of talks on Monday in the presence of Turkish officials acting as mediators to iron out differences. However, until the submission of this report, the dialogue remained deadlocked, with the Taliban delegation refusing to provide written guarantees.
“The third day of the ongoing talks in Istanbul is also facing difficulties,” said a security source. “The logical and reasoned demands presented by Pakistan are legitimate, but the Afghan Taliban delegation is not ready to fully accept them.” »added the source.
Pakistan has refused to soften its stance, saying any cooperation with the Taliban regime depends on Kabul taking concrete steps against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch militant groups and other organizations using Afghan territory to launch attacks.
“The message from Islamabad was clear: no compromise on terrorism,” another source said. “Pakistan has presented specific proposals to take verifiable steps to dismantle the TTP network and prevent cross-border attacks.”
Although Afghan delegates were receptive to some of Pakistan’s proposals, officials added that the delegation did not have formal authorization from Kabul and Kandahar, limiting the scope of the dialogue.
Interestingly, even the Afghan delegation believes that accepting Pakistan’s demands would be the right course of action, but it is moving forward in accordance with instructions from Kabul.
“It would be fair to say that they are controlled from Kabul, and there is no encouraging response from the Kabul administration, which creates a stalemate,” the source said. “It appears that some elements in Kabul are working on another agenda.”
The latest round follows nearly nine hours of talks on Sunday, during which Pakistan reiterated its unique agenda: peace and cooperation between the two countries can only progress if the Afghan side acts decisively against groups targeting Pakistan.
The talks come amid heightened tensions after Pakistan reported multiple infiltration attempts from the Afghan border. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday said that Pakistani forces foiled two infiltration attempts by Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists from the Afghan side.
“It is important to highlight that these infiltration attempts are being carried out at a time when the delegations of Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in talks in Turkey, casting doubt on the intentions of the Afghan interim government regarding the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Islamabad has consistently urged Kabul to ensure effective border management and fulfill its obligations under the Doha Accord by denying Afghan territory to militants targeting Pakistan.
Officials said diplomatic efforts continued to salvage the process, but progress appeared unlikely unless Afghan leaders provided clear directives to act against the TTP network.
Turkey, which is hosting the talks and mediating alongside Qatar, would do its best to ensure that the dialogue produces positive results. According to security sources, the host countries agree that Pakistan’s demands are reasonable and legitimate.
“The Pakistani delegation made it clear on several occasions that accepting Pakistan’s demands was in everyone’s interest. The host countries also conveyed the same message to the Afghan delegation,” the source added.
(WITH NEWS DESK ENTRY)
