Deadlock in Istanbul; Disagreement Between the Taliban and Pakistan on the Definition of Aggression and Terrorism

The Taliban delegation refused to provide written commitments regarding combating the hideouts of militant groups, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP); an issue that Islamabad has called unacceptable.

On the second day of talks, after nearly nine hours of intense negotiations, Pakistani security officials announced that they had presented their final position to the Afghan side.

“Pakistan has made it clear that the continued support of the Afghan Taliban for terrorists is unacceptable,” a senior Pakistani security official told Dawn.

In response, the Taliban delegation described Pakistan’s claims as illogical and contrary to the realities on the ground.

Sources close to the Taliban delegation told TOLOnews that the Afghan side hopes the talks will be fruitful and described the existing differences as minor.

According to these sources, the Taliban delegation emphasized that tension is not in the interest of either side and that mediators agree with this view.

Also, the Taliban delegation called for an end to any military aggression against Afghan soil and the prevention of the dispatch of terrorist groups, including ISIS, from Pakistani soil.

Dawn reported that, during the negotiations, the Pakistani delegation presented visual documents and information about the activities of TTP groups, Baloch separatists and other armed groups in Afghanistan.

Also, photos and documents related to Afghan individuals arrested in recent border incidents were shared.

In one stage of the talks, the Taliban delegation proposed that TTP representatives be brought to the negotiating table for direct talks with Pakistan, but Islamabad firmly rejected this proposal and emphasized that the responsibility for confronting these groups lies with the Taliban.

Concurrent with the negotiations, the Pakistani army yesterday reported two infiltration attempts in the Kurram and North Waziristan regions and announced that these actions took place while the delegations of the two sides were negotiating in Turkey.

According to Dawn, the Pakistani army has considered these events as a sign of doubt in the commitment of the Taliban government to fight terrorism.

The second session of the talks was held on Saturday with the presence of senior mediators from Turkey and Qatar.

Initially, there were hopes for progress, but the negotiation process faced a deadlock due to the Taliban delegation’s refusal to provide written commitments.

According to Dawn, representatives of the Afghan Taliban, who were taking orders from Kabul and Kandahar, apparently did not have the authority to make final decisions.

This round of negotiations was held after the Mehr 27 ceasefire in Doha; a ceasefire that was established with the mediation of Qatar in order to end a week of bloody conflict between the two sides.

Turkey hosted this round of talks, and Qatar played the role of guarantor of the ceasefire and facilitator of the negotiations.

The Pakistani delegation included senior security and intelligence officials, including representatives from the Army Intelligence Agency, the military operations directorate, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In contrast, the Afghan Taliban delegation was led by Rahmatullah Najib, Deputy Minister of Interior of this group, and included figures such as Anas Haqqani, Sohail Shaheen, Noor Al-Rahman Nusrat, and Abdul Qahar Balkhi in the negotiations.