Pakistan Warns Taliban Over Kunar Dam, Says It Holds Leverage

The two sides are set to resume talks on 6 November in Istanbul to finalise a monitoring mechanism for the truce.

In a statement released late Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed the conclusion of the second round of negotiations between Taliban and Pakistani delegations in Istanbul. The five-day talks, held from 25 to 30 October, took place under the mediation of Qatar and Türkiye.

According to the statement, senior officials from both sides will participate in the next round of discussions. The ministry said the delegations reaffirmed their commitment to maintain the ceasefire, initially agreed between the defence ministers of Pakistan and the Taliban administration during their meeting in Doha.

Despite this, no concrete agreement was reached in Istanbul. The main sticking point remains the presence of militant groups inside Afghanistan and their cross-border attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban deny that Pakistani militants operate from Afghan soil, describing the matter as Pakistan’s “internal issue.” Pakistani military officials, however, have warned that continued attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants could trigger a strong response from Islamabad.

Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said both sides agreed to establish a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to help maintain peace, under which any violation of the ceasefire would carry specific consequences.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the Istanbul negotiations, which he described as “a complex process”, ended with an agreement for both sides to reconvene to discuss outstanding issues.

Mujahid reiterated that the Taliban “believe in peace and dialogue” and, like other countries in the region, seek “peaceful and respectful relations” with Pakistan. He also underscored the importance of mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s affairs, and ensuring that neither country’s territory is used for hostile actions.

Haqqani said that despite years of internal enmity and discontent, Afghans are united in defending their country against foreign aggression.

“After years of hostility, we are now coming together,” Haqqani said. “We have internal problems and grievances, a legacy inherited from the past.”

Haqqani stressed that the Taliban administration seeks to maintain good-neighbourly relations and believes dialogue is the best way to address the existing issues between Kabul and Islamabad.

Speaking on Thursday, 30 October, at a meeting at the Ministry of Interior, Haqqani warned that if anyone attacks or invades Afghanistan, the Taliban will defend the country.

“Our history has much to say to aggressors,” he added.

Addressing Pakistani officials, Haqqani said the two Muslim nations should resolve their differences through understanding, not through force or threats. He said the Taliban is ready to discuss all issues that have caused misunderstandings between the two countries.

Haqqani stated that “our enemies thought we were weak and helpless, but we proved that we would not surrender to great empires on the battlefield.”

He added that the Taliban and Islamabad have had cooperation in the past, and that those experiences could be used to normalise relations again. Haqqani urged Pakistani officials to work toward regional stability instead of escalating security tensions.

According to the Taliban interior minister, repeating the experience of hostility will only harm both sides and bring nothing but destruction and distrust. He said the Afghan people have been victims of successive wars and crises over the past fifty years and now deserve to live in an atmosphere of understanding and dialogue.

Haqqani said that “some people in Pakistan, either deliberately or out of ignorance, are fanning the flames of war,” but that this does not reflect the will of the Pakistani nation, its clerics, or its politicians. “These are people who, even against the interests of their own country, incite another nation to fight and issue threats of war,” he added.

Addressing Taliban members, Haqqani said, “Your duty is to confront fire and smoke. That is a very difficult task. Starting a fire is easy, but if it gets out of control, putting it out is very hard. For twenty years, our homeland was like a furnace; we fought, we burned, and we know the true meaning of this fire and ash. That’s why we expect no one to fan the flames again.”

Haqqani said Taliban officials are providing clarity to the public regarding Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), adding that only Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, speaks on the matter.

The interior minister described the TTP issue as Pakistan’s internal matter. “If the TTP is a problem, we have repeatedly said: solve it within your own country. We do not allow anyone to use our soil against others, and we remain committed to this promise. We respectfully ask you to resolve your issues among yourselves,” he said.

Haqqani added that since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have repeatedly urged Pakistani officials in various meetings to address their problems domestically. He accused Islamabad of bringing the issue into Afghanistan and creating turmoil.

He said members of the Pakistani Taliban entered Afghanistan during the later years of former presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani. Haqqani noted that the Taliban’s leader has sought to reform and restrain TTP fighters and to find practical solutions to prevent further problems caused by their presence in Afghanistan.

Referring to the ongoing talks between the Taliban and Pakistan in Doha and Istanbul, Haqqani said that despite these negotiations, Islamabad continues to blame the Taliban for its problems.

“We are surprised,” Haqqani told Pakistani officials. “The problem is yours, and the solution lies with you, so why do you put the blame on us, and why do you try to force us?”

Speaking on Thursday at a meeting with tribal elders in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to maintain peaceful relations with Afghanistan but said the Taliban continued to assist India-linked militant groups despite Islamabad’s efforts to improve ties.

He also praised tribal communities for their “unconditional support” to Pakistan’s security forces amid rising tensions between the Pakistani military, Taliban fighters, and militant groups.

Pakistani forces have intensified counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent weeks. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of sheltering and aiding militants operating against Pakistan and has called on Kabul to take concrete action, a demand that was among the key conditions during the second round of peace talks in Istanbul, which ended without progress.

The Taliban have denied Pakistan’s allegations, saying they do not allow their territory to be used for attacks against any country.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, 30 October, Jaiswal said Pakistan’s anger stems from the Taliban’s “independence and assertion of sovereignty” and accused Islamabad of believing it can “carry out cross-border terrorist activities without consequence.”

Reaffirming India’s stance on the growing tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, Jaiswal said New Delhi supports Afghanistan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Responding to a question about the Taliban’s plans to build a dam on the Kunar River, he said India is ready to cooperate with the Taliban on water resource management and hydropower projects.

“Between the two countries there has been a long history of cooperation on water matters,” he said. “The Salma Dam for example is a perfect example of this cooperation which is today called India–Afghanistan Friendship Dam.”

Jaiswal also referred to the recent visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, noting that New Delhi is open to supporting Afghanistan’s development initiatives.

As border clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban intensify, India has increasingly taken a clear position in support of the Taliban-led administration in Kabul. Pakistan, meanwhile, has accused India of “fuelling instability” in the region.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also alleged that India is attempting to disrupt peace talks between Islamabad and the Taliban, claiming he has documents to support this assertion.

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.”