Taliban stalled Istanbul talks, made baseless accusations: FO

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday slammed the Afghan Taliban government for dropping charges against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil and exploiting the Istanbul talks to evade action against terrorist groups.

“Instead of finding a solution to address Pakistan’s core concern, the Afghan government used the opportunity to malign Pakistan through trumped-up allegations and jingoistic statements,” Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi said in a statement.

Peace talks between the Afghan government and Pakistan have broken down, although a ceasefire between the South Asian neighbors remains in place.

On November 7, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that the talks had been suspended, saying “there is no program for the fourth round of talks”. “There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase.”

In a statement, the FO spokesperson noted that following the talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar, one can easily “understand that the Taliban government is only interested in prolonging the temporary ceasefire, but without taking concrete and verifiable actions against terrorist elements on Afghan soil.”

The spokesman added, “He had long discussions and efforts to reach any concrete understanding engaged in futile arguments for a stonewall.”

The statement recalled a sharp increase in terrorist attacks from Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in August 2021, adding that despite military and civilian casualties, Pakistan has exercised maximum restraint and refrained from retaliation.

“Pakistan’s expectation was that the Taliban government would control TTP/FAC and BAL/FAH elements and take concrete measures against them.”

The FO said it sought to encourage stability in Afghanistan through trade incentives, humanitarian aid, and the facilitation of educational and medical visas, and urged the international community to engage the Taliban government for regional peace and social and economic development.

However, the Taliban’s response was largely limited to “hollow promises and inaction,” the spokesman said.

“Instead of following the basic expectation of Pakistan not to allow Afghan soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan, the Taliban regime has always tried to refrain from concrete and verifiable actions.

“Instead, it has tried to confuse the central issue with other relatively unrelated and fictitious issues. By obfuscating the core issue of terrorism, it continues to try to create a narrative that keeps the Taliban regime from fulfilling its commitments and responsibilities to the international community and its own people,” he added.

Describing Pakistan’s October 2025 response to sustained attacks from Afghanistan as a demonstration of national resolve, the Foreign Office reiterated that “TTP/FAO and BAL/FAH are declared enemies of the State of Pakistan and its people.”

The spokesman has warned that those who shelter, finance or finance these groups will not be considered as friends of Pakistan.

‘Three rounds of dialogue’

Referring to the three rounds of talks, the spokesperson noted that Pakistan was also a strong supporter of peace and diplomacy. “He has always advocated that the use of force is an option of very last resort.”

“In the spirit of giving peace and diplomacy every opportunity, and following the sincere advice of Turkey and Qatar, Pakistan agreed to engage in mediation-free Afghan peace talks through sincere friends,” the statement said.

In the first round of these talks in Doha, the spokesman said, an understanding was reached with Afghanistan on certain principles of cooperation and responsibility. Accordingly, Pakistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire.

The statement said the second round of talks in Istanbul was aimed at establishing an implementation mechanism for the commitments made in the first round of Doha, but said Taliban representatives refrained from taking steps on the ground and tried to change the atmosphere with inflammatory media allegations.

“Pakistan maintains its strong demand for concrete and verifiable action against terrorist elements and establishment of an effective monitoring mechanism,” it added.

In the third phase, Pakistan again engaged with a constructive approach to focus on establishing an effective monitoring mechanism.

However, the Afghan side tried to focus on the core issue of terrorism and widen the scope of engagement by making false accusations and baseless claims.

‘Pakistani terrorists in Afghanistan’

The statement also rejected attempts by Taliban representatives to frame Pakistani terrorists in Afghanistan as humanitarians or refugee problems, saying it was a ploy to absolve the terrorists of responsibility.

Pakistan said it was ready to receive any Pakistani nationals living in Afghanistan provided they were handed over to a designated border crossing – Torkham or Chaman – and not pushed across the border armed and armed.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue, the Foreign Office asserted that terrorism emanating from Afghanistan must be tackled first and foremost.

He added, “Pakistan has never negotiated with any government in Kabul. However, Pakistan will not negotiate with any terrorist group, be it TTP/FAK or BIL/FAH.”

‘Strong lobby in Afghan Taliban’

In the statement, the spokesman said that some in the Taliban government had opposed a confrontation with Pakistan, but that a powerful lobby allegedly backed by foreign actors had faced pressure to gain legitimacy and unify the Kabul administration.

It added, “Some elements in the Taliban regime, anti-Pakistani terrorist elements and their abettors have found Pakistan’s bogey quite useful, in search of legitimacy and to consolidate their strong government.”

These elements have engaged in abusive and inflammatory allegations against Pakistan, he added: “By doing so, they are rapidly eroding whatever goodwill they had within Pakistan.”

The statement added that some elements in the Taliban government also try to publicize that there is some difference of opinion within Pakistan on Afghan policy.

“Irrespective of this misleading propaganda, there is a definite clarity among the people of Pakistan that the common people of Pakistan are the biggest victims of terrorist activities by hidden elements and their abettors in Afghanistan,” he added.

‘Pashtun Nationalism’

Addressing efforts to incite Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan, the Foreign Office reminded that Pashtuns are a vibrant and integral part of Pakistani society, and urged the Taliban to focus on inclusive governance in Afghanistan rather than cross-border dissent.

“Although the Afghan Taliban have described terrorism as an internal problem of Pakistan, they fail to mention that there are people in Afghanistan who have issued fatwas legitimizing terrorist attacks against Pakistan,” In addition, terrorist groups operating inside Pakistan now include a large number of Afghan nationals. “

The spokesman said that Pakistan is committed to resolving bilateral differences through dialogue. “However, Pakistan’s primary concern, namely terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, needs to be addressed first and foremost.”