Kabul-Islamabad Peace Talks Collapse Amid Bitter Rhetoric and Accusations
Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan collapsed dramatically in Istanbul this week, giving way to a cascade of accusations, threats, and recriminations that have deepened mistrust between the two uneasy neighbors, according to AFP.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif launched into a blistering tirade against Kabul, alleging that the Afghan government was being “controlled by New Delhi” and warning that any aggression toward Islamabad would be met with a “response fifty times stronger.”
Speaking on Geo News’ primetime show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath, Asif accused Kabul of sabotaging the negotiations and bowing to Indian influence. “Whenever we came close to an agreement, intervention from Kabul derailed the process,” he claimed, as quoted by Dawn. “Those pulling the strings in Kabul are being controlled by Delhi.”
Asif went further, suggesting that India was using Afghanistan as a “proxy front” to wage a “low intensity war” against Pakistan, while vowing to retaliate fiercely if Afghanistan attempted any direct attack. “If they wish to test our resolve, they should do so at their own peril and doom,” he declared on X, formerly Twitter.
The minister’s remarks followed confirmation by Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar that the Istanbul talks, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, had collapsed without a “workable solution.” The failure reportedly stemmed from Pakistan’s admission that it had allowed U.S. drone operations from its soil, a revelation that enraged Afghan negotiators, who demanded guarantees that Pakistani territory would not be used to violate Afghan airspace.
Kabul’s response was swift and defiant. Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob dismissed Islamabad’s allegations as “unfounded and illogical,” asserting that Afghanistan maintains relations with India as a sovereign state, not a proxy. Afghan officials accused Pakistan of seeking to deflect from its own internal security failures by scapegoating Kabul and warned that any future strikes on Afghan soil would be met with “reciprocal action.”
Behind the fiery rhetoric, Taliban officials voiced deeper frustrations. They accused Pakistan of hypocrisy, preaching peace while enabling cross-border strikes and sheltering groups hostile to Kabul. Afghan sources said that Pakistan’s insistence on keeping its drone pact with the U.S. intact revealed “a lack of sincerity” in its approach to regional peace.
The United Nations expressed concern over the breakdown, urging both sides to prevent renewed fighting. “We very much hope that even if the talks are on pause, the fighting will not renew,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
The collapse of the Istanbul dialogue marks another setback in the troubled Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship, already scarred by border skirmishes, terror attacks, and mutual accusations. As Asif’s rhetoric turned caustic, promising to “obliterate” the Taliban regime if provoked, the fragile hope for peace once again dissolved into hostility, with each side convinced that the other is playing for power rather than peace.
