By News Desk
ISLAMABAD: The second round of Pak-Afghan talks in Istanbul appeared to have stalled as security sources on Sunday cited “non-cooperative” attitude of Afghan Taliban, emphasising that further progress in the talks depends on the positive attitude of the Taliban regime.
“The demands put forth by Pakistan are clear, evidence-based and a real solution to the problem,” security sources said, adding that the Pakistani delegation has made it clear that no compromise is possible on core demands on cross-border terrorism.
The security sources said it appeared that the Taliban are following “someone else’s or another agenda”, which, they emphasised, was not in the interest of the stability of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region.
Meanwhile, security forces killed 25 Khwarij in Kurram and North Waziristan districts while five brave soldiers were also martyred on Saturday and Sunday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said.
In the talks held in Istanbul, the Pakistani delegation has presented its final position to the Afghan Taliban delegation, as Islamabad has made it clear that the ongoing patronage of terrorists by the Afghan Taliban is unacceptable. “The Pakistani delegation has also made it clear that concrete and verifiable steps will have to be taken by Taliban regime to eliminate cross-border terrorism from and inside Afghanistan,” the sources added.
On the contrary, the security sources said, the arguments being given by Taliban are illogical and opposite to ground realities. “The stubbornness, lack of seriousness and non-cooperative attitude of the Afghan Taliban is also getting quite evident to other participants of the dialogue process, especially the host,” the sources added.
The security sources said the host country’s interlocutors are making all out efforts to bring the Taliban delegation to understand realities, acknowledge evidence and cooperate seriously so that the talks can be fruitful.
Talks between delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan resumed in Istanbul after Islamabad submitted its reply to the Taliban regime’s response to its counterterrorism plan, sources said on Sunday.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin is mediating the second round of the Istanbul talks, which began hours after the Pakistani delegation responded to the Taliban delegation’s submission of a reply to their suggestions, they added.
In the first phase of the talks in Istanbul on Saturday, Pakistan submitted a counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban in an effort to address cross-border terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil. Kabul responded to the plan at 2am late Sunday night.
The negotiations in Istanbul, Turkiye, are the second round of the peace talks, which began between the two nations in Qatar’s Doha on October 19.
Meanwhile, on 24-25 October 2025, movements of two large groups of Khwarij, opposite general area Ghaki, Kurram District and Spinwam, North Waziristan District, who were trying to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, were picked up by the security forces.
The troops effectively engaged these groups of Khwarij. As a result of precise and skillful engagements, fifteen khwarij, including four suicide bombers belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij, were killed in Spinwam, North Waziristan District. Whereas, another 10 infiltrating khwarij were killed in Ghaki, Kurram District.
A large number of weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed infiltrating Khwarij. However, during the intense fire exchanges, five brave sons of soil, Havildar Manzoor Hussain (age: 35 years, resident of District Ghizar), Sepoy Nauman Ilyas Kiyani (age: 23 years, resident of District Poonch), Sepoy Muhammad Adil (age: 24 years, resident of District Kasur), Sepoy Shah Jehan (age: 25 years, resident of District Vehari) and Sepoy Ali Asghar (age: 25 years, resident of District Pakpattan), having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat.
The ISPR said that it is significant to point out that these infiltration attempts by Fitna al Khwarij are being carried out at a time when delegations of Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in talks in Turkiye, casting doubts on intentions of interim Afghan government with regard to addressing the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil.
Pakistan has consistently been asking the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on its side of the border and is expected to fulfil its obligations of Doha Agreement and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij against Pakistan.
The security forces of Pakistan remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve. Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored Kharji found in the area as relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under the vision “Azm e Istehkam” (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would “quickly resolve” the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir as “great people.”
Trump made the remarks while addressing the signing ceremony of a Thailand-Cambodia peace deal on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Referring to recent border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Trump said he was confident of helping the two sides reach peace.
“… we’re averaging one a month. There is only one left, although I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up. But I’ll get that solved very quickly. I know them both. And the Field Marshal, and the Prime Minister are great people, and I have no doubt we’re going to get that done quickly.”
The US president further said he viewed peacebuilding as a priority. “If I can take time and save millions of lives, that’s really a great thing,” he remarked, adding that, unlike other presidents, he focused on ending wars rather than starting them.
“I can’t think of any president who ever solved one war. They start wars. They don’t solve them,” he added.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed an enhanced ceasefire deal on Sunday in the presence of Trump, whose intervention in their fierce border conflict earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
The agreement builds on a truce signed three months ago after Trump called the then-leaders of the two countries, urging them to end hostilities, or risk their respective trade talks with Washington being put on hold.
Both sides blame each other for starting the five-day exchange of rockets and heavy artillery, which killed at least 48 people and temporarily displaced an estimated 300,000 people in their worst fighting in recent history.
Talks between Afghan Taliban and Pakistan are going on in Istanbul through the mediation of Turkiye and Qatar, it appears that Afghan Taliban do not want to go against Fitna al Khwarij.
Pakistan has laid out sufficient proof of the presence of Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan on Afghan soil, including the presence of the leadership that is being given shelter by Afghan Taliban.
Afghan Taliban, being non-state actors themselves, seem to be grappling to understand the outcome of such unreasonable attitude, wherein they are willing to stand by a non-state actor against inter-state relations with Pakistan that has remained the largest benefactor of the Afghan people in the last many decades.
Pakistan joined the talks with a lot of clarity; its delegation laid out the core issue with a lot of clarity and proof and did not let the discussion veer off in any other direction. Pakistan maintained its stance that it will not talk to Fitna al Khwarij and the Afghan Taliban have to rescind their support to leadership of all proxies.
The denial of Afghan Taliban to move forward on the just demand by Pakistan, which was endorsed by Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, indicates that the agenda of Afghan Taliban is more important than the combined opinion of international interlocutors.
It seems that the agenda is driven by India that is desperately trying to re-establish itself in Afghanistan. A deadlock in the deliberations would mean, Pakistan would have to take the difficult path to resolve the TTP issue, which will have a cost. Nonetheless, Afghanistan will also have to pay a higher cost, for which the Afghan Taliban are responsible.
It will be in the greater benefit of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and peace and stability in the region that better sense prevails and talks do address the core issue raised by Pakistan i.e. action against proxies operating from Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the delegation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan presented a draft proposal to the Pakistani negotiators, Afghan media reported. In this draft, the Afghan side demanded the following: “No violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and land borders by Pakistan. Pakistan must refrain from allowing opposition groups to use its territory against Afghanistan,” Tolo news reported.
The draft proposal from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was delivered to the Pakistani delegation through mediators, and Pakistan has also submitted its own second draft to the Islamic Emirate, it added.