Overview
- Pakistan’s information minister said four days of Istanbul negotiations produced no workable solution, accusing Kabul of offering no verifiable assurances on militancy.
- Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif warned the Taliban government that any new militant attack inside Pakistan would draw a severe military response.
- Islamabad’s central demand focused on credible action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, while Afghan officials denied responsibility for the group and framed it as Pakistan’s internal issue.
- Kabul pressed sovereignty concerns during the talks, seeking an end to reported airspace violations and to U.S. drone operations, positions Pakistani officials did not accept.
- The Oct. 19 Doha ceasefire remains in effect, yet major crossings stay closed with trucks and refugees stranded, and media in Kabul reported Pakistan admitted to a secret drone-strike pact with a foreign country, a claim Islamabad has not publicly confirmed.