Deadlock in Islamabad-Istanbul Talks: Taliban Rejects Pakistan’s Demands Over India’s Role

​Informed sources from the recent negotiations in Istanbul revealed that the security talks between the Taliban delegation and Pakistani intelligence officials have reached a deadlock due to deep disagreements over India’s role and the activities of the TTP. Pakistan, presenting documents, claims India’s support for its opposition groups within Afghan territory; however, Kabul officials have rejected these claims and have responded negatively to Islamabad’s request to limit Delhi’s influence and expel TTP commanders…

​Presentation of Documents and Mutual Accusations

Reports from informed sources indicate that the latest sensitive negotiations between representatives of the Islamic Emirate and senior security and intelligence officials from Pakistan, held in Istanbul, Turkey, concluded without achieving a tangible outcome. The atmosphere during these talks was filled with distrust, and the explanations provided by both sides regarding the accusations were not accepted by the other party.

The main focus of tensions in this round of talks was Islamabad’s claims regarding India’s use of Afghan territory against Pakistan’s national security. The Pakistani delegation, presenting what it called credible evidence and documents, alleged that India plays a supportive role for opposition groups against the Pakistani government, particularly the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch freedom-seeking groups.

​Claim of Increased Indian Intelligence Presence in Kabul

Pakistani officials laid out a list of their security concerns during these meetings. They claimed that the presence of Indian intelligence personnel in Kabul has increased, and there have been frequent meetings between Delhi’s security officials and representatives of the Islamic Emirate.

According to the Pakistani side, these contacts aim to design sabotage actions against Pakistan. Additionally, the intensification of Indian intelligence, technical, and financial assistance to armed groups opposed to Islamabad was another point of protest from the Pakistani delegation, which they regarded as the main factor contributing to rising tensions between the two neighboring countries. Islamabad has called for immediate and decisive action from Kabul to counter India’s influence and what it termed negative actions.

​Rejection of Pakistan’s Requests by the Taliban

Despite the pressures from the Pakistani delegation in recent peace talks, both in Qatar and Turkey, officials of the Islamic Emirate have adopted a hardline stance. According to news reports, one of Pakistan’s most serious and principal demands has been to limit India’s influence in Afghanistan and also to expel senior TTP commanders from Afghan territory.

However, sources confirm that Kabul officials have not given a positive response to any of these issues and have refused to comply with Islamabad’s security dictates. This lack of agreement indicates the depth of the strategic rift between Kabul and Islamabad and Pakistan’s failure to change the regional power balance in its favor in Afghanistan.