Divided Voices in Islamabad Deepen Rift With Kabul as Peace Talks Collapse
ISLAMABAD/KABUL — Pakistan’s leadership is struggling to present a united front on Afghanistan after the latest round of peace talks in Istanbul collapsed, exposing both diplomatic contradictions in Islamabad and deepening hostility with Kabul, according to Afghan and Pakistan’s media reports.
On one end of the spectrum, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi struck a conciliatory note, describing Afghanistan as a “brotherly neighbor” during a cordial exchange with the Taliban’s deputy interior minister on the sidelines of the ECO summit. “Differences exist in every household,” Naqvi said. “We resolve our issues through dialogue.”
But his tone contrasted sharply with that of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who unleashed a fiery barrage against Kabul’s rulers following the failure of the four-day Istanbul dialogue. In a post on X, Asif accused the Taliban regime of “treachery and mockery,” warning that Pakistan would respond “fifty times stronger” to any cross-border attack.
“The Taliban have probably misread our resolve,” he declared, vowing that Pakistan could “obliterate the regime without employing even a fraction of its arsenal.” He alleged that Kabul was acting as a proxy for India and that its delegation in Istanbul “lacked authority,” accusing it of sabotaging peace efforts under New Delhi’s influence.
The negotiations, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, broke down after Islamabad insisted that its agreement with Washington permitting U.S. drone operations could not be revoked; a point that enraged Afghan representatives. Kabul’s negotiators walked away, calling Pakistan’s position evidence of bad faith.
Afghan officials later accused Islamabad of violating airspace and launching airstrikes in Paktika province. The Taliban’s defense ministry said it had responded with attacks along the Durand Line, vowing to defend Afghan sovereignty.
International voices urged restraint. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization “very much hopes that even if the talks have stalled, there will not be a resumption of hostilities.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meeting Pakistan’s interior minister separately, offered Tehran’s help in mediating the dispute.
For now, Islamabad’s message remains mixed, part diplomacy, part defiance. While Naqvi speaks of reconciliation, Asif warns of war. And as both governments trade accusations of terrorism and treachery, the fragile thread of peace that once held the two neighbors together appears dangerously close to snapping.
