Talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Istanbul to broker a long-term truce have ended without a resolution, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, a blow for peace in the region after deadly clashes this month.

The talks aimed to reach lasting peace between the South Asian neighbours after dozens were killed along their border in the worst such violence since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021.

No common ground

Both agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, but could not find common ground in a second round of talks mediated by Turkiye and Qatar in Istanbul, Afghan and Pakistani sources briefed on the issue said, with each blaming the other for the failure.

A Pakistani security source said the Taliban had been unwilling to commit to rein in the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group hostile to Pakistan that Islamabad says operates with impunity inside Afghanistan.

An Afghan source familiar with the talks said they had ended after “tense exchanges” over the issue, adding that the Afghan side said it no control over the Pakistani Taliban, which has launched attacks against Pakistani troops in recent weeks.

The October clashes began after Pakistani air strikes this month on Kabul, the Afghan capital, among other locations, targeting the head of the Pakistani Taliban.

The Taliban responded with attacks on Pakistani military posts along the length of the 2,600-km (1,600 miles) border.

The breakdown in talks that have caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, could strain the ceasefire between Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan were still trying to find common ground to settle their dispute over cross-border military and other issues despite three days of talks held in Turkiye, says Sources

Talks began on Saturday (October 25, 2025) and continued through Monday (October 27, 2025), but without any final agreement.

Quoting officials, the Dawn newspaper reported that a final agreement still remained elusive.

Sources familiar with the closed-door discussions said that while “most of the points had been mutually agreed between the two sides”, the mechanism for verifiable action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory continued to be the main sticking point.

“We kept hoping that we would be able to sign a mutual document with Afgha­nistan soon, followed by a joint statement, but it remains out of our reach,” the Dawn newspaper quoted one source as saying.

The atmosphere early on Monday (October 27) had been markedly positive. Participants des­c­­ribed “encouraging progress” and “serious engagement” from both delegations.

As the day wore on and talks stretched into the evening, optimism began to fade. “It is a difficult phase,” a source said.

By nightfall, it appeared that the process had once again hit a roadblock, according to the Dawn newspaper.

The Afghan Taliban delegation continued to resist putting anything in writing, particularly on the issue of providing verifiable guarantees to end support for the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), according to the participants.

The tone at the start of Monday’s (October 27) proceedings contrasted sharply with the pessimism that followed Sunday’s (October 26) session, when Pakistani officials told reporters that Islamabad had presented its final position to the Taliban delegation — a statement widely interpreted in local media as signalling the possible collapse of the talks.

In contrast to those reports, members of the Afghan negotiating team had on Sunday (October 26) night and Monday (October 27) morning continued to express optimism.

They maintained that the dialogue in Istanbul could still yield results, describing the remaining disagreements as “few” and “resolvable”.

“The Afghan side has made it clear that tensions benefit no one,” one member of the delegation said. “We are hopeful that these talks will produce a positive outcome.” Mediators from Turkiye and Qatar were said to share this sentiment, stressing the importance of maintaining engagement and preventing the process from unravelling.

Despite the lingering stalemate, diplomatic sources described Monday’s (October 27) session as “not without significance.”

“Even if the talks didn’t produce a breakthrough, the fact that both sides stayed engaged for three straight days is important,” one mediator said. “It shows that neither wants the process to collapse.” By late evening, negotiators in Istanbul were weighing whether to extend discussions into a fourth day, according to the Dawn newspaper.

Dozens of soldiers, civilians, and terrorists were killed in clashes earlier this month, creating a war-like situation; however, peace was restored temporarily on October 19 after the two sides held talks — facilitated by Qatar and Turkiye — in Doha.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday (October 28, 2025) warned of an “all-out war” with the Afghan Taliban if the talks failed.

Five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants have died in clashes near the border with Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday (October 26, 2025), as delegations from both countries met to try to defuse tensions after the deadliest fighting in years.

The militants tried to cross over from Afghanistan on Friday (October 25) and Saturday (October 26) in Kurram and North Waziristan districts, rugged areas along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier, the Pakistani military’s media wing said.

It said the attempted infiltrations cast doubt on the intentions of the government in Afghanistan in “regards to addressing the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil”.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported attacks.

The Taliban denies accusations of sheltering militants and says Pakistan’s military operations violate Afghan sovereignty.

Officials from both countries are meeting in Istanbul to prevent a relapse into conflict after clashes between their armies earlier this month — the worst border fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

That fighting erupted after Pakistan demanded the Taliban rein in militants it says operate from Afghan sanctuaries, prompting heavy exchanges of fire and Pakistani airstrikes. Both sides reached a truce in Doha last Sunday.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said on Saturday (October 25) the truce was holding and he believed Afghanistan wanted peace. But he warned that failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean “open war”.

Pakistan’s military described the attackers as members of “Fitna al Khwarij” a term it uses for groups it says are inspired by militant ideology and backed by “foreign sponsors”.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister said on Saturday (October 25, 2025) he believes Afghanistan wants peace but that failure to reach an agreement during talks in Istanbul would mean “open war,” days after both sides agreed to a ceasefire following deadly border clashes.

The talks in Istanbul, which began on Saturday (October 25) and are expected to continue into Sunday (October 26), mark the latest attempt by Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent a relapse into violence after the worst border fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

The talks are meant to devise a mechanism to enforce the Doha ceasefire longer term.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif said there had been no incidents in the four to five days since it was agreed, and both sides were complying with the truce.

“We have the option, if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them,” he said in televised remarks from Pakistan. “But I saw that they want peace.”

The clashes erupted earlier this month after Islamabad demanded that the Taliban curb militants it says are attacking Pakistan from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan launched airstrikes across the border and both sides exchanged heavy fire, killing dozens and prompting the closure of key crossings that remain shut.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants who target Pakistani forces. The Taliban rejects the charge and says Pakistan’s military operations violate Afghan sovereignty. 

Eight TTP terrorists were killed and five others injured on Friday (October 24, 2025) during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

The operation was carried out in the Wanda Sheikh Allah area of Lakki Marwat district.

Eight terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were killed and five others were injured in the operation, police said.

In a separate incident, unknown assailants blew up a newly constructed government girls’ primary school in Tank district, bordering South Waziristan, on Friday.

The incident took place at Gara Budha village in Sial Gul Korona, police said.

No casualties were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time of the blast.

Security officials suspect the involvement of militants aiming to disrupt the rise of education and literacy, particularly girls’ education, in the region.

No group has claimed responsibility for the school bombing as yet. However, splinter groups of TTP active in the Tank district are against girls’ education and usually target their schools.

Over 450 schools in the province have been destroyed in such attacks over the last decade, forcing students to either quit education or attend classes next to ruined buildings or the rubble, as per data collected by local NGOs.

Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls’ schools until 2019, especially in the Swat Valley and former tribal areas under the control of TTP.

In 2012, the insurgents attacked Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai, a teenage student and advocate for the education of girls.

Pakistan has lately been witnessing a rise in terrorist activities, mainly in provinces bordering Afghanistan.

As many as 298 people died due to terrorism so far this year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) report published on Thursday.

The report said that till October 22, 117 police personnel and 181 civilians were killed in various terrorist incidents across the province, bringing the total number of lives lost to 298, while 486 others sustained injuries.

As per the data, across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,366 intelligence-based operations were conducted in which 1,124 militants were arrested and 368 terrorists were gunned down.

The report stated that 6,181 suspects were charged in different terrorism-related cases during the year.

Action against extortion rackets also intensified, with 1,287 cases being registered till now this year, and 209 suspects were charged, while 52 others were apprehended during operations.

Pakistan has resumed Afghan transit trade in a phased manner following a ceasefire agreement with the Afghan Taliban government, according to a media report on Thursday (October 23, 2025).

The trade activity was suspended on October 13 due to clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, and it remained suspended for ten days, leaving scores of vehicles stranded.

Around 300 vehicles stranded at various locations are now being cleared, beginning with operations via the southwestern Chaman border crossing in the Balochistan province.

Quoting the Directorate of Transit Trade (Customs), The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the cargo operations will be completed in three stages, adding that all regular transit trade activities will resume on a “first in, first out” basis once the existing backlog is cleared.

In the first phase, nine vehicles that were turned back when the Friendship Gate was closed will be reweighed and rescanned. Any discrepancies will lead to a full inspection.

The Friendship Gate connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.

The second phase will cover 74 vehicles that were returned from the NLC Border Terminal Yard. These will also undergo reweighing and scanning, with complete checks if inconsistencies are found.

The third phase involves clearing 217 vehicles currently parked in the halting yard, which will then be allowed to cross the border into Afghanistan.

The directive added that photographs of all returning or halted vehicles will be taken and archived at the Friendship Gate to ensure transparency and proper documentation.

Officials said the resumption of transit trade is expected to provide relief to traders, transporters and cargo operators who suffered heavy losses during the border closure.

They added that security checks and inspection procedures have been further tightened to prevent smuggling and illegal trade.

The Chaman border remains Pakistan’s most significant land trade route with Afghanistan, handling dozens of trucks and consignments daily. Authorities hope that the phased reopening will restore smooth cross-border trade and strengthen economic ties between the two countries, according to the newspaper.

Pakistan had closed crossings along the 2,600-km border with Afghanistan, including the two main border crossings at Torkham and Chaman, and at least three minor crossings, at Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan.

On October 19, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Qatar. The two sides agreed to meet on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss “detailed matters.”

The restoration of transit trade is expected to revive cross-border commercial activity and improve bilateral trade relations, according to the newspaper.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced early Sunday (October 19, 2025) on X.

“During the negotiations, the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries,” the Qatari Ministry said in a statement.

More details are awaited…

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday (October 15, 2025), the foreign ministry in Islamabad said, after dozens of troops and civilians were killed earlier in a fresh round of border skirmishes.

“The Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime — at the Taliban’s request… have decided to implement a temporary ceasefire starting from 6 p.m. (01.00 GMT) today for the next 48 hours,” the ministry said.

There was no immediate response from Taliban authorities in Kabul.