Istanbul | Pakistan

The Foreign Office has confirmed that Pakistan is engaged in ongoing negotiations with the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul, advising the public and media to disregard unverified claims circulating on social media.

Pakistan resumed talks with Afghan Taliban representatives in Istanbul today in a third round of engagement aimed at ending cross-border terrorism and consolidating a fragile ceasefire that was initially agreed upon after border clashes last month. Since the skirmishes between October 11 and 15, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban representatives have held two rounds of talks — first in Doha and then in Istanbul — but a final agreement has not yet been achieved. For the third round, under the joint mediation of Turkiye and Qatar, delegations from both sides arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday. The talks are expected to continue for two days. In this round, Pakistan’s delegation is being led by Lt Gen Asim Malik, director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence, and includes senior officials from the military, intelligence agencies, and the Foreign Office. The Afghan Taliban’s delegation, meanwhile, includes General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) chief Abdul Haq Waseq, Deputy Interior Minister Rehmatullah Najib, Ta...

The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban is set to take place in Istanbul on Thursday as scheduled, with Pakistan expected to reiterate its demand for an end to terrorism originating from Afghan soil.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday confirmed that Pakistan’s delegation had departed for tomorrow’s talks with the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul to find a solution to the current tensions between the two neighbours. A second round of discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations had begun in Istanbul on October 25, following days of border hostilities, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern over terror attacks emanating from Kabul remained a major point of contention, resulting in a stalemate. A breakthrough came after Turkiye and Qatar salvaged the dialogue process for the second time in less than a week, following Pakistan’s announcement on Oct 29 that the talks had “failed” and that its negotiators were preparing to return home. The talks produced a three-point understanding — the continuation of the ceasefire, the establishment of a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure peace, and penalties for violations. The operational details of that mechanism are expected to be finalised ...

ISLAMABAD - At the invitation of the Turkish Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will undertake a one-day visit to Istanbul today (Monday) to attend the Coordination Meeting of Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed early Friday morning to continue the ceasefire following a rapid deterioration of ties between the two neighbours and a brief conflict along their shared border earlier this month. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations began in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern over terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan remained a major point of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Last-ditch efforts on Thursday by the mediating countries brought both sides back to the negotiating table. A joint statement released after the conclusion of the latest round of dialogue stated “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a Principal level meeting in Istanbul on November 6. During this period, the two countries also agreed on a “monitoring and verification mechanism” to ensure the maintenance of peace and to impose a penalty on the side that breaches the ceasefire. “All parties have agreed to put in place a moni...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that a “ray of light” was visible in the Istanbul negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid current tensions, and there was room for “guarded optimism” for a breakthrough, although nothing conclusive could be said at this stage. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations had begun in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern of terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan had been a bone of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Asif said earlier today that talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on cross-border terrorism could resume if Kabul signaled a shift in its attitude. Speaking in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Asif said that whereas hope had completely flatlined before, there were “some signs now”, although he made it clear that he could not say anything conclusive. Describing how the process of the talks worked, he said different drafts were prepared and when one side agreed to one,...

Pakistan has agreed to resume talks with the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul on Thursday, following renewed mediation efforts by Türkiye, marking a cautious step toward reviving dialogue aimed at easing border tensions and promoting regional stability.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday said talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on cross-border terrorism could resume if Kabul signalled a shift in its attitude. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations had begun in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern of terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan had been a bone of contention, resulting in a stalemate. “While the talks have not begun [again], our delegation is still in Istanbul,” Asif said in an exclusive interview with Geo News. He added that “discussions could still restart” if there was “some development that indicates a material change in Kabul’s attitude on the insistence of these two friendly countries (Turkiye and Qatar)”. “Our stance, that there will not be any attacks on us (Pakistan) from their land and they will not back such attacks, is a sticking point. If an understanding can be reached on that, [well and good], it will be a good thing,” Asif said. The minister noted, “There has been no breakthro...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said early on Wednesday that the latest round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul “failed to bring about any workable solution”, adding that Pakistan would continue to take all possible measures to protect its citizens from terrorism. After days of fighting along the Pak-Afghan border and strikes by Islamabad on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, the two countries had come together for a dialogue in Doha which had resulted in a temporary ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. Last week, the second round of talks between the two sides had begun in the Turkish capital. In a post on social media platform X early on Wednesday, the information minister said that Pakistan had repeatedly engaged with the Afghan Taliban regarding “persistent cross-border terrorism” by Indian-abetted Fitna-al-Khawarij and Indian proxy Fitna-al-Hindusta...

Istanbul talks collapse as Taliban remain intransigent

The ongoing talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul have so far failed to produce any breakthrough, with both sides expected to hold a third round of negotiations today (Monday) to continue efforts toward resolving key security concerns.

A second round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan kicked off in Istanbul on Saturday, with Islamabad eyeing a “concrete” mechanism to monitor Afghan Taliban actions aimed at preventing cross-border terrorist attacks. Today’s meeting follows the first round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks mediated jointly by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha on October 18-19. The Qatar talks had come after days of fighting along the Pak-Afghan border — where trade is still closed — and strikes by Islamabad on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan. The agreement reached in Doha extended an initial 48-hour truce and resulted in a permanent ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. According to Afghan interim administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan delegation was to be led by Mawlawi Rahmatullah Najeeb, deputy minister at Ministry of Interior, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported. Islamabad has not said who it has sent...

FO says Istanbul round will seek to finalise monitoring framework

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M), has attended the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF-2025) at Istanbul, Turkiye, a globally renowned event that highlights cutting-edge innovations and advancements in the defence sector.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), represented Pakistan at the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF-2025) held in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Russia and Ukraine on Monday swapped plans for ending their three-year war during talks in Istanbul aiming to find a way out of Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said any deal must not “reward” Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but said Kyiv was willing to take the “necessary steps for peace”. Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion, but have yet to make progress towards an agreement. Monday’s talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil — using drones to hit dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometres behind the front line. A first round of meetings in Istanbul last month yielded a large-scale prisoner exchange but no pause in the fighting, which has raged since Russia invaded in February 2022. On Monday, the delegations “exchanged documents through the Turkish si...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Istanbul, on a two-day visit to Turkiye.