Taliban-Pakistan Talks Collapse: Kabul Faction’s Demand for U.S. Financial Backing Sparks Crisis

Following the inconclusive Taliban-Pakistan talks in Istanbul, widespread reactions have emerged among Afghan and Pakistani politicians and citizens. Pro-Pakistani military users claim the breakdown stemmed from internal Taliban factional disputes between the Kandahar, Kabul, and Khost factions. The Kabul faction allegedly sought to involve the U.S. as a guarantor to secure financial aid in exchange for counterterrorism commitments. Meanwhile, social media has erupted with propaganda videos and warnings from both sides.

In Islamabad, Pakistani police raided Afghan refugee settlements overnight, detaining or extorting those without residency documents. Former Afghan officials warn that war between Pakistan and the Taliban seems inevitable, citing incompatible demands. Taliban spokesmen, however, threatened a “decisive response” to any aggression.

The three-day Istanbul talks concluded with no progress. Pakistan demanded concrete Taliban action against the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which the Taliban denied hosting. Analysts from Pakistani media outlet Strategic Vision Pakistan attributed the failure to infighting within Taliban delegations, particularly the Kabul faction’s insistence on U.S. involvement to revive financial pipelines.

Mujib-ur-Rahman Rahimi, a former Afghan reconciliation council spokesman, likened the Taliban’s current stance to Pakistan’s past support for the Taliban against the Afghan Republic, calling the crisis “unsolvable through win-win solutions.” Meanwhile, Pakistani media highlighted a viral video showing Pakistan’s interior minister downplaying tensions with the Taliban as a “family dispute.”

Taliban supporters, including spokesperson Abdul Matin Qani, vowed retaliation, claiming they “do not fear nuclear bombs.” Social media users shared footage of Taliban floggings and accused Pakistan of hypocrisy. Afghan refugees in Islamabad protested arrests, stating they “should not pay the price for Taliban policies.”