Efforts to ease the escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have hit a wall, as two days of high-stakes peace talks in Istanbul collapsed without agreement on November 8, 2025. Despite the breakdown, both nations have publicly pledged to maintain a fragile ceasefire, but the border remains tense, and the risk of renewed conflict looms large.
The Istanbul negotiations, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, marked the third—and perhaps most closely watched—round of talks since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. According to Geo News, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif bluntly declared, “the talks are over,” with Islamabad’s team heading home and “no plans for future meetings.” Afghanistan’s government spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, meanwhile, pointed the finger at Pakistan, calling its demands “unreasonable” and saying the negotiations “have reached a standstill for now.”
At the heart of the impasse is a fundamental disagreement over security. Islamabad insists Kabul must take concrete action against militant groups—particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—that Pakistan accuses of using Afghan territory as a staging ground for deadly attacks. The Taliban government, however, sees these demands as overreaching. “The talks broke down due to Islamabad’s demand that Afghanistan be responsible for Pakistan’s internal security,” Mujahid explained, a responsibility he said was “beyond the capabilities of the Afghan side,” according to Reuters.
Despite the stalemate, both sides have reiterated their intent—at least for now—to honor the ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, 2025. “The ceasefire that has been established has not been violated by us so far, and we will continue to adhere to it,” Mujahid said during a press briefing in Kandahar. Asif echoed this sentiment, stating the truce would hold “unless attacked from the Afghan side.”
The breakdown in Istanbul comes against a backdrop of deadly violence. Border clashes have surged in recent weeks, with over 70 people killed and hundreds wounded last month alone, as reported by UNN. The violence flared dramatically after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban government blamed on Pakistani drone strikes—an allegation Islamabad denies. These attacks triggered fierce cross-border exchanges, which only subsided after Qatar’s diplomatic intervention.
Yet, even as diplomats met in Istanbul, the situation on the ground remained volatile. Afghan officials reported that four civilians were killed and several injured in fresh cross-border fire just hours before the talks collapsed. On November 6, Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire, underscoring just how precarious the ceasefire remains.
Pakistan’s position has hardened in the face of continued militant attacks. In a statement on November 9, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry reaffirmed, “Pakistan remains committed to (the) resolution of bilateral differences through dialogue. However, Pakistan’s core concern, i.e. terrorism emanating from Afghanistan needs to be addressed first and foremost.” The ministry accused the Taliban government of avoiding “taking any measures on (the) ground and tried to back out of the commitments they had undertaken at the first round.”
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of harboring TTP militants, responsible for a sharp rise in attacks inside Pakistan since 2021. Kabul has consistently denied these allegations, with Mujahid stating, “Afghanistan cannot be held responsible for their actions,” and emphasizing that the TTP “predates the Taliban’s rule.” Still, Islamabad remains unconvinced, with the Foreign Office describing the Taliban regime’s response as “hollow promises and inaction.”
In an effort to pressure Kabul, Pakistan sealed all major border crossings with Afghanistan on October 12, 2025. The closure upended vital trade routes and left thousands—including traders and refugees—stranded on both sides of the border. While the main Torkham crossing reopened briefly to allow Afghan nationals to return home, the humanitarian fallout has been significant. Meanwhile, Pakistan has intensified its campaign to deport undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, with more than one million repatriated since 2023, according to Pakistani authorities.
The rhetoric has grown increasingly heated. Ahead of the Istanbul talks, Defense Minister Asif warned that “only war will happen” if diplomatic efforts fail. On Saturday, he reiterated that while Pakistan values peace, it “will take necessary steps to protect its people” if provoked. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar added that Islamabad “will not support any steps by the Taliban government that are not in the interest of the Afghan people or neighboring countries.”
For their part, Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of seeking to shift the burden of security entirely onto Kabul. “During the discussions, the Pakistani side attempted to shift all responsibility for its security to the Afghan government, while showing no willingness to take responsibility for either Afghanistan’s security or its own,” Mujahid wrote on social media. Afghanistan’s government insists it does not seek instability, but “has the right to defend itself” if conflict erupts. “Entering into war is not our first choice,” Mujahid said, “but we will not allow our sovereignty to be undermined.”
Amid the diplomatic deadlock, Turkey has tried to keep hope alive. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the mediation “moving in the right direction,” and said senior Turkish officials would likely visit Islamabad soon. After meeting Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku, Erdogan expressed optimism that the talks could “yield results toward lasting stability” and affirmed Turkey’s continued role as mediator.
The roots of the current crisis run deep. For decades, Pakistan and the Taliban maintained warm ties, but relations have frayed sharply since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The October 2025 clashes—sparked in part by Pakistani airstrikes targeting the head of the Pakistani Taliban in Kabul—were the deadliest since the Taliban takeover, and further eroded trust between the two governments.
Pakistan, for its part, says it has made positive gestures, offering trade concessions and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in hopes of fostering stability. Yet, Islamabad accuses the Taliban of using the issue of Pakistani militants in Afghanistan as a humanitarian cover, and claims that these groups are now being harbored as a “payback” for their past allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Foreign Office has rejected Kabul’s portrayal of TTP members as refugees and demanded their handover to Pakistani authorities.
Despite the current pause in talks, both sides insist they are open to dialogue. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry stated, “Pakistan has never eschewed dialogue with any Government in Kabul, but it would not hold dialogue with any terrorist group.” Afghanistan, meanwhile, continues to demand that its territorial sovereignty be respected, and accuses Islamabad of supporting armed groups against it.
With the ceasefire holding—at least for now—attention turns to what comes next. The border remains tense, trade is disrupted, and the humanitarian situation for thousands of stranded civilians is dire. The prospects for renewed negotiations are uncertain, and both sides are warning that, should the truce break, a new round of violence could erupt.
In a region where the stakes are measured in lives and livelihoods, the collapse of the Istanbul peace talks leaves both Afghanistan and Pakistan on edge, their future relations hanging in the balance.
