Pakistan and Afghanistan hold third day of peace talks as border tensions test ceasefire

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Hourslong peace talks between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan entered a third day Monday in Istanbul, officials from both sides said, but they were unable to reach an agreement by the end of the day.

The talks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to resolve the crisis between the two neighbors “very quickly” and as tensions along the border remained high following recent exchanges of fire that have killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on the both sides.

The clashes prompted Qatar to host a first round of negotiations that led to a ceasefire agreement on Oct. 19 between Islamabad and Kabul.

Afghan media on Monday quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as saying the Istanbul discussions were still in progress, with no outcome announced yet. Pakistani officials also confirmed the talks are underway but the Afghan delegation was repeatedly consulting authorities in Kabul, and Pakistan was not getting an encouraging response.

The officials who have direct knowledge of the negotiations being hosted by Turkey’s government spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Pakistan’s army said Sunday it had killed 25 militants while “repelling two major infiltration attempts” along the border, even as delegations were talking in Istanbul. It also said five Pakistani soldiers had died during exchanges of fire.

It was not possible to verify the casualty figures as the area is remote and off-limits to the media.

Trump, speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on Sunday, said he had learned that Pakistan and Afghanistan had begun peace efforts, adding that he would “get that solved very quickly.”

Pakistan this year recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping defuse a crisis with neighboring India when the two nuclear-armed rivals were on the brink of a wider conflict. That standoff followed the killing of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April and ended after U.S.-led diplomatic efforts produced a truce, which Trump has repeatedly taken credit for.

The latest Istanbul talks, hosted by the Turkish government and facilitated by Qatar, are aimed at ensuring that the ceasefire remains intact and that the two sides reach a broader agreement.

Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of allowing militants to use Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border — allegations Kabul strongly denies.

No Pakistani government spokesman was immediately available for comment on the latest round of talks, which were expected to conclude Friday. A joint statement was anticipated before midnight but it didn’t happen, the officials said.

According to two Pakistani security officials, the delegation from Islamabad presented its final position to the Afghan Taliban representatives, emphasizing that “patronage of terrorists is unacceptable” to Pakistan.

The officials said Pakistan also expects Kabul to take “concrete and verifiable” action against the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has stepped up cross-border attacks and violence since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

The officials said Turkey, as host nation, is striving to keep the discussions “productive, fruitful and result oriented.” They said Pakistan had shared solid evidence with the Afghan side about the cross-border attacks by Pakistani Taliban from the Afghan soil.

“The Pakistani delegation’s position remains logical, firm, and vital for peace,” one of the officials said, adding that “the demands presented by Pakistan are logical, well-reasoned, and legitimate, and even the host countries have acknowledged that Pakistan’s stance is fair and justified.”

The trade and border communities are also waiting for a positive outcome, as all crossings between the two countries have been shut for two weeks. Hundreds of trucks carrying goods are stranded, awaiting the reopening of key trade routes.

Pakistan’s border regions have experienced violence since 1979, when it became a front line state in the U.S.-backed war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar contributed to this story from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.