Afghanistan calls Paks demands unfeasible as talks collapse; whats behind it all

New Delhi: The third round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at establishing a practical mechanism to prevent border clashes has collapsed. After the negotiations collapsed, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi reportedly put the blame on Pakistan for the deadlock. He said that Islamabad's "stubborn and unreasonable" approach was behind the collapse of the latest round of talks. Muttaqi said negotiations held recently in Istanbul had failed primarily because Pakistan’s demands were "neither practical nor acceptable" to the Taliban government, News 18 reported.

Muttaqi pointed out that Pakistan had insisted the Taliban should provide a guarantee of peace within Pakistan and to take measures against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). "They wanted us to ensure peace in Pakistan, but their own forces are beyond our control," he underlined. He also added that Pakistan had demanded that the TTP be relocated to Afghanistan — a condition he dubbed as "impossible".

The acting Taliban foreign minister said that the Afghan team had come back from Istanbul after negotiations failed to make headway. He also rejected Islamabad’s allegation that the Taliban had withdrawn in an abrupt manner. "It was Pakistan’s unfeasible expectations that stalled the discussions," Muttaqi said.

Pakistan has been accusing the Afghan Taliban of giving shelter to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists who it believes are involved in attacks on its soil. Pakistan has demanded that the Taliban should guarantee peace within its borders and take concrete action against the TTP. Pakistan has demanded that the Taliban should take direct measures to disarm, arrest, or expel TTP fighters who have found patronage in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021.

Islamabad has also said that the Taliban must move TTP members deeper inside Afghanistan, away from the shared border, to prevent cross-border infiltration and ease tensions.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared that Afghanistan refused to sign a written accord and that Pakistan was unwilling to rely on "verbal promises alone”.

However, Afghanistan has said that Pakistan’s internal security challenges were of its own making. "The TTP has operated in Pakistan for the past 25 years — long before our time,” Muttaqi said. "Pakistan has failed to secure its own borders and should not pass the blame,” he reportedly said. Kabul has contended that Pakistan should address its internal security challenges through political dialogue rather than through external pressure.

Afghanistan has also sounded a warning to Pakistan against "provocations and violations of Afghan sovereignty". It has demanded that airstrikes and drone flights into Afghan territory be stopped immediately.

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Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has also accused Pakistan of making "unreasonable demands”. He has asserted: "We do not want insecurity in the region, but if war breaks out, we have the right to defend ourselves."

The collapse of the talks and a fragile ceasefire signals a deepening deadlock that risks plunging the region towards a more violent conflict.