After unproductive discussions in Istanbul, mediators have brought Pakistan and Afghanistan together once again in Turkey in a final attempt to maintain a temporary ceasefire and achieve meaningful peace talks.

Despite 18 hours of continuous negotiations, no agreement was reached.

A Pakistani official said that during the long discussions, the Afghan Taliban delegation repeatedly acknowledged Pakistan’s legitimate demand for credible and verifiable action against the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other non-state armed groups responsible for cross-border attacks.

According to sources tracking Pakistan-Afghanistan affairs in Islamabad, even in the presence of international mediators, the Afghan side recognized the validity of Pakistan’s concerns. However, they added that “whenever progress seemed near, instructions from Kabul led the Afghan delegation to change its position, preventing meaningful results.”

Pakistani diplomatic sources said that the rigid and unreasonable guidance coming from Kabul is the main reason the talks have not produced any concrete outcomes.

Meanwhile, Afghan officials spoke to the media, expressing their concerns and shifting the blame toward Islamabad. Several Afghanistan-linked social media accounts and news channels also began spreading reports from unnamed sources, suggesting a deadlock in the talks rather than progress toward reconciliation.