Istanbul talks between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban end without progress: Tarar

WEB DESK: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday confirmed that the recent talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, had ended without progress, saying Pakistan’s patience “has reached its limit” after repeated cross-border terror attacks.

In a strongly worded statement, Tarar said Pakistan would now launch decisive actions against terrorists and their facilitators, stressing that both human and material losses from recent attacks had crossed the threshold of tolerance.

He said Pakistan had repeatedly raised concerns with the Afghan Taliban regime over cross-border terrorism and urged them to honour commitments made under the Doha Agreement. However, despite multiple rounds of dialogue and Pakistan’s “sincere efforts,” he said, the Taliban had failed to offer any concrete assurances or take meaningful action.

Tarar alleged that a faction within the Afghan Taliban was actively supporting anti-Pakistan militant groups, while the regime itself was “thriving on a war economy” and shirking responsibility toward the Afghan people. “They want to drag Afghanistan’s population into unnecessary conflict,” he said.

The minister added that terrorism in the region has roots in Indian-backed groups, referring to what has been dubbed as the “Fitna al-Khawarij” and “Fitna al-Hindustan.”

He said that during the talks, the Afghan delegation had verbally acknowledged Pakistan’s logical and evidence-based demands and accepted the evidence presented by both Pakistan and the host nations. However, they failed to provide any practical guarantees or commitments on the ground.

“Instead of accepting responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to blame-shifting and evasion,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan’s top priority remains the security of its citizens.

He reassured the public that the government will continue to take all possible measures to eliminate terrorism and protect Pakistan’s national security.