New Delhi: The ongoing talks in Turkey between delegations from Pakistan and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan are on the brink of collapse, with informed sources confirming that the Pakistani side is preparing to withdraw from the negotiation table.
Officials attribute the possible walkout to Islamabad’s team lacking both unity and authority, with one senior official stating that it is “choosing escape over engagement.”
According to well-placed Afghan sources, the Islamic Emirate has “to the best of its ability” adhered to a policy of constructive dialogue and diplomacy. The Afghan side, they said, arrived with facts, a clear mandate, and an emphasis on regional stability.
“It is the Pakistani delegation that has shown signs of confusion and internal contradiction,” one source familiar with the proceedings told The Sunday Guardian.
Diplomatic interlocutors also pointed to widening fissures within Pakistan’s establishment. Certain influential military leaders are said to be resisting any outcome that acknowledges Kabul’s position or reduces the Pakistani military’s leverage in shaping regional policy. This resistance, sources said, has effectively neutralized the civilian members of the Pakistani team, leaving them constrained and unsure of what they are empowered to concede or negotiate.
“Their delegation lacks both authority and the intellectual clarity needed for meaningful dialogue,” an informed Afghan official remarked. “When logic fails, flight follows.”
Kabul has consistently maintained that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issue is an internal Pakistani matter. “Afghanistan cannot control what happens inside Pakistan, nor can it represent the TTP,” a senior Afghan representative said. “Our responsibility is to ensure that Afghan soil is not used against any country — and that principle stands firm.”
The Islamic Emirate views its participation in the Turkey dialogue as evidence of political maturity and regional responsibility. “We have come in good faith, believing in discussion and constructive diplomacy,” a Kabul-based source added. “But diplomacy demands seriousness, coherence, and logic — qualities missing on the other side.”
Interestingly, Pakistani officials have painted a different picture in their domestic briefings. Media reports from Islamabad on Monday claimed that the third day of talks “oscillated between hope and despair” and that “most of the points had been mutually agreed” — with the mechanism for verifiable action against militant groups described as the “main sticking point.”
Afghan officials, however, say such claims are misleading. “The picture they are presenting at home is meant to save face,” one source said. “There is no deadlock over ‘mechanisms.’ The real problem is their lack of mandate and the military’s interference.”
Analysts observing the process say Pakistan’s inclination to abandon the talks exposes deeper dysfunction within its power structure. The military’s dominance over policy, coupled with its reluctance to acknowledge Kabul’s independent position, has left little room for coherent diplomacy.
