Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have flared once again after a fresh round of peace talks collapsed in Turkey earlier this week. In a fiery statement responding to Kabul’s warnings, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif issued a sharp and uncompromising threat.
“If Afghanistan even looks at Islamabad, we will gouge their eyes out,” Asif declared. “There should be no doubt that Kabul is responsible for the terrorism in Pakistan.”
His comments came shortly after he cautioned that the breakdown of peace efforts could push both nations to the brink of an all-out war.
Peace Talks in Turkey End Without Agreement
For three days, from Saturday through Monday, officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Istanbul to seek a path toward de-escalation and long-term peace. However, despite intense deliberations, the talks failed to produce a concrete outcome.
According to reports in Dawn, negotiators from both sides managed to agree on “most of the points,” but they remained deadlocked over one critical issue: how to create a verifiable mechanism to act against militant groups allegedly operating from Afghan soil.
Sources familiar with the closed-door discussions told PTI that this unresolved point ultimately derailed the entire process.
Islamabad Accuses Kabul of Evading Responsibility
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that the Istanbul talks — aimed at achieving a lasting truce — ended without any breakthrough.
“The Afghan side kept deviating from the core issue, evading the key point upon which the dialogue process was initiated,” Tarar said in a statement. “Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to blame games, deflection, and ruses. The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution.”
Fragile Truce Now in Jeopardy
Just weeks earlier, both countries had agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, following deadly cross-border clashes that left dozens of soldiers, civilians, and militants dead. That fragile truce briefly restored calm — but the failure of the Istanbul talks has once again put the region on edge.
Sources quoted by Reuters revealed that each side has now blamed the other for the collapse of negotiations, despite mediation efforts led by Turkey and Qatar.
