The fourth round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government is set to take place in Istanbul tomorrow, November 6, where a high-level Pakistani diplomatic and military delegation will participate in crucial negotiations.
Qatar and Türkiye are mediating the discussions, and diplomatic sources confirmed that the role of these mediators will be vital in reaching a possible settlement or agreement.
The channel reported that the Pakistani delegation is expected to depart for Istanbul within the next few hours to attend the meeting.
Sources revealed that during the previous round of talks, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a joint statement outlining progress.
The sources said that the Pakistani delegation is not expected to back down from its key demands and will seek a written assurance from the Afghan Taliban government to act against terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan.
They added that such an assurance could be modelled after the written guarantees the Taliban provided to the United States in the 2020 Doha Agreement.
In that deal, the Taliban had committed in writing to prevent the use of Afghan soil for attacks against the US and its allies. However, Pakistani officials note that despite Islamabad’s status as a major non-NATO ally of Washington, militant groups based in Afghanistan continue to target Pakistan.
According to sources, the upcoming round will also focus on establishing a monitoring mechanism for cross-border movements of militants and determining a system for coordination. If consensus is reached, special representatives could be appointed in both Islamabad and Kabul to oversee these arrangements.
Pakistan is expected to reiterate its demand for verifiable action against banned militant organisations operating on Afghan soil. In case of mutual agreement, counterterrorism operations could be conducted by Afghan security forces based on intelligence shared by Pakistan or even through joint efforts.
Sources further indicated that Pakistan would consider halting cross-border airstrikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan only after concrete progress and verifiable commitments from the Afghan Taliban government.
Sources said that despite ongoing dialogue, the Afghan Taliban continue to describe terrorism in Pakistan as an “internal issue”, while anti-Pakistan attacks originating from Afghan territory have persisted. They also noted that pro-Afghan Taliban social media accounts continue to run coordinated anti-Pakistan campaigns even as diplomatic efforts remain underway.
