Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that peace talks with the Taliban could resume in Istanbul if the Taliban authorities show a change in attitude towards cross-border attacks.
Asif told Geo News that the Pakistani delegation remains in Istanbul, though negotiations have not yet formally restarted. The talks, which began on Saturday, stalled over disagreements about militant attacks launched from Afghan territory.
In an interview with Geo News, Khawaja Asif said that if there is a change in “Kabul’s attitude on the insistence of these two friendly countries [Turkiye and Qatar]”, there is a chance the talks will resume.”
He reiterated that Pakistan’s key demand remains unchanged: that the Taliban ensure no attacks are carried out against Pakistan from Afghan soil and that they do not support groups behind such assaults. “If an understanding can be reached on that, it will be a good thing,” he added.
Reuters, citing three informed sources, reported earlier that Pakistan and the Taliban are expected to resume talks in Istanbul after Turkiye intervened to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire and encouraged both sides to return to dialogue.
Asif confirmed that there has been no significant progress so far, but said defence ministers and intelligence chiefs from Turkiye and Qatar, who are mediating the talks, are working to break the deadlock.
He said the Pakistani delegation had been preparing to leave Istanbul, but Turkish and Qatari officials requested they extend their stay to give peace “another chance.”
