No breakthrough in Ankara: Taliban warns Pakistan against air strikes

New Delhi:  Afghan-Pakistan talks on the border crisis ended suddenly after the Pakistani delegation withdrew as the two neighbours failed to arrive at an agreement on a border mechanism.

Soon after that, Afghan Interior Ministry Spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani accused Pakistan of adopting irrational, unreasonable, and unacceptable demands and stated that his country will respond severely if Islamabad indulges in any misadventure and conducts air strikes.

The two sides held three rounds of talks lasting around 40 hours, but could not reach any understanding on border management. Qani stated that his country is open to dialogue but will “not tolerate cross-border attacks. If Pakistan conducts air strikes on Afghan soil, Afghan forces are prepared to target Islamabad in response.”

He said that Pakistan’s demands were unacceptable as it wants the Taliban to exert control and pressure on armed groups and individuals allegedly involved in various militant activities in the border areas of Pakistan.

Qani said that any attack would be met with a decisive response that would serve as a lesson for Pakistan. He said that it is true that “We do not possess nuclear weapons, but neither did NATO or the United States subdue Afghanistan despite 20 years of war. The Afghan nation has never bowed,” he further stated.

Pakistan and the Taliban held three rounds of talks but failed to achieve a breakthrough as Islamabad has taken a tough stand, demanding “concrete and actionable steps” from the Afghan authorities to dismantle hideouts of various militant groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which it alleges are operating from its soil.

Pakistani officials presented their final draft, which insists that there could be “no compromise” on core concerns regarding terrorism. They urged the Taliban to change its “tolerant position” toward armed groups hostile to Pakistan.

The Taliban-run broadcasting agency RTA claimed that Afghanistan also submitted a “comprehensive proposal” aimed at easing tensions. They emphasised the importance of respecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty and accused Islamabad of using security concerns as a pretext for political pressure.

Taliban officials said they would not allow any foreign country to dictate Afghan domestic policy and claimed that Pakistan’s demands went beyond the scope of reasonable bilateral cooperation. The breakdown in talks marks a setback in efforts to de-escalate tensions along the Afghan-Pakistan border, where recent clashes left dozens dead and hundreds injured.

The Afghan delegation was led by the Deputy Interior Minister, while Pakistan was represented by senior security officials and functionaries of the defence and interior ministries. The two sides held marathon sessions to thrash out differences, but no agreement was finalised.