A senior delegation from Turkiye is expected to arrive in Islamabad next week to help ease the deteriorating relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban-led government in Kabul, The News reported on Saturday. The initiative aims to promote dialogue and identify a peaceful path forward amid rising regional tensions.
Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Irfan Neziroglu confirmed the development during a conversation with The News at a reception hosted by Oman’s Ambassador Fahad Sulaiman Khalaf Al-Kharusi in celebration of Oman’s National Day. He emphasised that Ankara was closely monitoring the situation and was prepared to play a constructive mediating role.
The upcoming visit was first mentioned earlier this month when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku. This follows a series of meetings between Pakistan and Afghan officials in Istanbul, which concluded earlier in November without any breakthrough due to Kabul’s unwillingness to take action against militant outfits operating from Afghan soil.
Ambassador Neziroglu, who has been instrumental in facilitating the Istanbul trilateral consultations on Afghanistan, revealed that the visiting delegation will include Turkiye’s intelligence chief and key cabinet members. Among them will be Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who is also scheduled to travel to Islamabad next week.
According to Neziroglu, Turkiye wants to ensure that Afghan territory is not used for hostilities against Pakistan. He stressed that both nations should coexist peacefully as brotherly countries and stated that Turkiye is firmly committed to supporting efforts that prevent further violence and bloodshed.
Tensions escalated sharply after an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on October 12 by Taliban forces in coordination with the India-backed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij. Pakistan’s military retaliated with a strong self-defence response, eliminating more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters and associated militants. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) later confirmed that 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the clashes.
In reaction to the assault, Pakistani forces carried out precise strikes in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, in Kabul, and across the bordering regions of North and South Waziristan, destroying several militant bases. Although both sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire during Doha talks on October 19 and subsequently held additional rounds of discussions in Istanbul, progress stalled. Pakistani officials said the Afghan side remained inflexible and used the Istanbul sessions to criticise Islamabad instead of addressing the fundamental issue of cross-border terrorism from Afghan territory.
