Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to engage in another round of peace negotiations in Istanbul next week, with a ceasefire in place until that time, as confirmed by Turkey’s foreign ministry late Thursday.
The discussions, which are scheduled for November 6, come in the wake of the most severe clashes between the two South Asian nations since the Taliban regained control in 2021.
Over 70 individuals lost their lives and hundreds sustained injuries during the violence that erupted following explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban authorities attributed to Pakistan.
“All parties have consented to maintain the ceasefire. The specifics of its execution will be reviewed and determined at a high-level meeting in Istanbul on November 6, 2025,” stated the Turkish foreign ministry in an official announcement.
Previously, the two parties had been conducting discussions in Istanbul with the mediation of Turkey and Qatar until Islamabad declared on Wednesday that the talks had failed.
‘We are brothers, yet some are…’
Responding to escalating tensions, Taliban interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani stated on Thursday, “We are Muslims, brothers, neighbors, but some (in Pakistan), whether knowingly or unknowingly, are toying with fire and conflict.”
While emphasizing that Afghans “do not desire war,” he remarked that “defending the territory is among our top priorities.”
‘Unreasonable demands from the Pakistani side’
A Pakistani security source, along with Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV and Afghanistan’s state-run broadcaster RTA, reported earlier on Thursday that negotiations are expected to resume.
RTA attributed the previous breakdown of talks to “the unreasonable demands from the Pakistani side.”
Afghan officials have refrained from making public comments regarding the renewal of negotiations.
Relations between the former allies, who share a 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) border, have deteriorated in recent years.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups that conduct cross-border assaults — particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — which it claims utilizes Afghan territory as a base. The Taliban administration has consistently rejected these accusations.
“Any terrorist act or suicide bombing within Pakistan will provide you with the harsh consequences of such misadventures,” warned Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif earlier this week.
Despite the ceasefire, the border between the two nations has remained closed for over two weeks, adversely affecting the livelihoods of traders on both sides.
‘Exhausted nations’
In Kandahar, Afghan textile merchant Nazir Ahmed informed AFP that both countries were enduring hardships.
“Our country is weary, and their country is also weary,” the 35-year-old remarked on Wednesday.
Abdul Jabbar, a trader of vehicle spare parts in Pakistan’s border town of Chaman, shared a similar view: “Trade is significantly impacted. Both nations incur losses — both are Islamic countries,” he stated to AFP.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported on Monday that the violence had resulted in the deaths of at least 50 Afghan civilians and injured 447 others within a week. Pakistan’s military announced on October 12 that 23 personnel had died and 29 were injured, without detailing civilian casualties.
