Pakistan-Taliban talks in Turkey deadlocked as Islamabad holds 'final position': What went wrong and why it matters

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, center right, and Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob shake hands after signing a ceasefire agreement in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, October 19, 2025.(Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

The latest round of Pakistan-Taliban talks in Istanbul appears to be faltering, with both sides showing little willingness to compromise. What Pakistan had hoped would be a breakthrough in its campaign against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is instead turning into yet another diplomatic embarrassment.

Despite relying on Turkey and Qatar to mediate, Islamabad’s hardline demands and contradictory positions have pushed the talks toward a possible collapse. Analysts say the impasse exposes Pakistan’s diminishing leverage in Kabul and the limits of its long-touted influence over the Taliban, whom it once backed as strategic allies.

The negotiations entered their third day on Monday, with a senior Pakistani official telling Dawn newspaper that Islamabad had submitted its “final position” to the Taliban, demanding “verifiable action against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).”

Delegations from both sides met in Istanbul over the weekend but failed to make progress. “Concrete and verifiable steps to eliminate cross-border terrorism from and within Afghanistan” were demanded by Pakistan, the official said, following nine hours of tense discussions that stretched late into the night.

The same official also claimed that “ongoing patronage of terrorists by the Afghan Taliban is unacceptable.” However, the Taliban have strongly rejected Islamabad’s allegations. A spokesperson told Tolo News that Pakistan’s claims about Afghan soil being used for terrorism were “illogical and contrary to ground realities.”

A fragile ceasefire and fraying trust

October saw a series of violent clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban, killing dozens and injuring hundreds, including civilians and soldiers. Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban of sheltering the TTP, while the Taliban blamed Pakistan for violating its airspace and borders.

After multiple ceasefire renewals on October 15, 17, and 19, the current talks were meant to establish a long-term truce. But the Taliban have now set strict preconditions: that Pakistan must “refrain from violating Afghanistan’s airspace and land borders” and “not allow opposition groups to use its territory against Afghanistan.”

Islamabad’s deflection and diplomatic missteps

In an apparent attempt to shift blame, a Pakistani official told Dawn that the Taliban “appeared to be following someone else’s agenda,” an indirect reference to India. The official added that such a stance “was not in the interest of Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the region.”

This repeated attempt to link India to Pakistan’s domestic failures has drawn criticism, with observers pointing out that Islamabad continues to externalize its internal security crisis rather than confront its role in nurturing militant groups.

The Taliban, meanwhile, reportedly proposed involving the TTP in peace discussions. Pakistan rejected the idea outright, stating that it “would not engage in dialogue with the group,” which it has designated as a terrorist organisation. Islamabad insisted that it was “the Taliban’s responsibility to curb the group’s activities in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan’s strategy backfires

The TTP, which seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state and impose a hardline version of sharia, remains a direct offshoot of the same extremist ecosystem that Pakistan once supported for strategic depth in Afghanistan. Today, those very militants have turned their weapons inward.

As the talks in Turkey appear to drift toward deadlock, Pakistan finds itself caught between diplomatic isolation, eroding credibility, and the consequences of decades of misguided policy. For Islamabad, the message from Istanbul is becoming clear: the Taliban it once helped to power no longer takes its calls.