In Istanbul, as the autumn air grew tense with anticipation, Afghan and Pakistani negotiators found themselves locked in marathon talks—sometimes stretching deep into the night—trying to hammer out a lasting ceasefire that could finally cool the simmering border conflict between the two neighbors. With the world watching closely and the stakes higher than ever, both sides exchanged final drafts of a proposed agreement in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 2025, signaling what many hope will be a turning point in a crisis that has already claimed dozens of lives.
The roots of this latest escalation go back just two weeks. According to AFP and Express News, the Taliban government in Kabul launched a border offensive after a series of explosions in the Afghan capital, which they blamed on Pakistan. The violence quickly spiraled, with intense clashes erupting along the border and leaving dozens dead, including civilians. Islamabad responded with what it called "precision strikes" against armed groups it identified as the source of the attacks, deepening the crisis and prompting fears of a broader conflict.
After a brief and fragile 48-hour ceasefire—brokered in part by Qatar and Turkey—collapsed amid mutual recriminations, both sides returned to the negotiating table. The second truce, agreed upon during talks in Doha, was more promising but still left many details unresolved. That set the stage for the high-stakes Istanbul discussions, where the real work of defining peace began in earnest.
On Saturday, October 25, 2025, the two delegations convened in Turkey’s largest city. The Afghan team was led by Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib, while the Pakistani side included a seven-member delegation headed by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Over the course of nine hours, Pakistan presented a comprehensive anti-terror plan, reiterating its demand for the dismantling of terrorist and training camps inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani delegation specifically named groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fitna al-Khawarij as sources of cross-border attacks, insisting that Kabul take concrete steps to eliminate their presence.
“Pakistan has made it clear that the Afghan government must eliminate terrorist organisations and their hideouts,” sources told Express News. The talks, they added, aimed to establish a consensus on mechanisms for addressing cross-border security challenges and preventing future terrorist activities. The plan included proposals for intelligence sharing, joint action against identified threats, and a monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance.
But the Afghan side was equally firm in its priorities. According to Ariana News, the final draft submitted by Kabul at around 2 a.m. on Sunday emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to respecting Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and airspace. The Afghan negotiators also proposed a four-party monitoring mechanism, involving representatives from both countries as well as mediating nations, to oversee the ceasefire and facilitate information sharing on potential violations.
By dawn, Pakistan had submitted its revised version of the draft, signaling a willingness to engage with Afghanistan’s concerns. Both delegations agreed to reconvene at midday Sunday, with Turkish mediators present, in what observers described as a make-or-break session to finalize the terms of the ceasefire. “The meeting in Istanbul is going to be quite essential because that’s where the so-called mechanism would be agreed on in terms of when Pakistan has concerns that anti-Pakistan elements inside Afghanistan are doing things against Pakistan,” Ibraheem Bahiss, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, explained to AFP.
Throughout the process, Turkey played a quietly pivotal role. While Ankara refrained from commenting in detail, it publicly welcomed the sides’ joint decision in Doha “to establish mechanisms to strengthen peace and stability” and pledged to “continue to support the efforts” toward a lasting solution.
Meanwhile, the specter of renewed violence loomed large. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking to reporters in Sialkot, issued a stark warning: “If [the talks] do not yield a positive outcome, there will be an open war with Afghanistan.” Yet he also struck a note of cautious optimism, telling Pakistani television, “I saw that they want peace.”
The urgency behind these negotiations is clear. The border clashes that erupted on October 12, 2025, were among the worst since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021. According to Express News, the fighting was triggered by unprovoked Afghan Taliban fire at multiple locations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which Pakistan says was aimed at facilitating the illegal entry of TTP militants. The Pakistan Army responded with force, destroying several Afghan posts and killing dozens of Afghan soldiers and militants.
But the stakes extend beyond military skirmishes. Since September, Pakistan has intensified deportations of undocumented Afghan refugees, further straining an already tense relationship. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly called for dialogue, insisting that peace and economic cooperation are the only viable paths forward.
Internationally, the talks have not gone unnoticed. U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, pledged to “quickly” resolve the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict. “I know them both—the Pakistan Field Marshal and the Prime Minister are great people, and I have no doubt we’re going to get that done quickly,” Trump declared, according to Ariana News. He touted his administration’s record of brokering peace accords elsewhere, saying, “If I can take time and save millions of lives, that’s really a great thing. I can’t think of anything better to do.”
Diplomatic observers see the Istanbul talks as the most serious attempt yet to defuse the crisis, potentially paving the way for broader regional cooperation on trade, border management, and counterterrorism. If successful, the agreement could mark a breakthrough in a relationship long marred by suspicion and periodic violence. Both sides, after all, have much to gain from normalized relations—especially when it comes to economic development and regional stability.
Still, skepticism lingers. “I’m not so hopeful that a technical mechanism will really address the fundamental drivers of this escalatory cycle,” Bahiss noted, reflecting the view that deep-seated mistrust and longstanding grievances won’t be erased overnight.
Yet, as dawn broke over Istanbul and negotiators prepared for yet another round of talks, there was a palpable sense that history might just be in the making. With mediators from Turkey and Qatar standing by, and the eyes of the world fixed on the Bosphorus, the hope for peace—however fragile—remained alive.
Whether these efforts will yield a durable solution, or simply another brief pause in a cycle of violence, remains to be seen. For now, at least, the guns have fallen silent, and the door to dialogue is open wider than it has been in years.
