Pakistan’s foreign minister has, for the first time, confirmed that talks between Islamabad and the Taliban were held in Saudi Arabia. He said that the negotiations failed to produce results, as did earlier rounds in Qatar and Turkiye.
Ishaq Dar said the Saudi talks collapsed without agreement, mirroring the outcome of the second and third rounds of negotiations previously held in Doha and Istanbul. Pakistani officials had earlier said they were unaware of such discussions.
Sources had previously told Afghanistan International that delegations from Pakistan and the Taliban met in Saudi Arabia but failed to reach any understanding.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday marking the end of the 2025 calendar year, Dar welcomed a recent fatwa issued by Taliban clerics aimed at preventing the export of war beyond Afghanistan’s borders. However, he said attacks originating from Afghan soil were continuing and that Pakistani soldiers were being killed on a weekly basis in the country’s north.
Referring to the fatwa, Dar said it reflected Pakistan’s longstanding demands, adding that the key question was whether the Taliban would implement it in practice.
He also cited remarks made last week by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who said the Taliban remained committed to the Doha agreement and would not allow Afghan territory to be used against countries in the region or beyond. Dar said that if this commitment were implemented, Pakistan’s concerns would be resolved.
Pakistan, he stressed, has only one demand of the Taliban: that Afghan soil not be used to launch attacks against Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Saturday that tensions with Pakistan had been turned into an opportunity for Afghanistan. He said the Taliban had found new markets and reduced their dependence on Pakistan.
Earlier this month, Taliban clerics declared at a gathering in Kabul that using Afghan territory to wage war abroad is illegitimate and called on Taliban forces not to cross borders to fight. They also said resisting foreign aggression constitutes jihad.
Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan remain strained. Trade and transit between the two sides have been completely halted for the past two months.
