• Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to monitor, penalise border truce violations
• ‘Principals’ to meet on Nov 6 in Istanbul to finalise modalities
• Turkish, Qatari mediators pull talks back from brink after near-collapse

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday agreed to continue their ceasefire and set up a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure peace along their shared border and penalise any violators, capping five days of tense negotiations in Istanbul mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, officials said.

The two sides signed an agreement late on Thursday following marathon talks that began last Saturday, after several near-collapses and heated exchanges between the delegations and their principals in their respective capitals.

According to a statement released by the Turkish foreign ministry, all parties “have agreed on continuation of ceasefire” and have agreed to “put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and imposing penalty on the violating party”.

The breakthrough came after Turkiye and Qatar salvaged the dialogue process for the second time in less than a week, following Pakistan’s announcement on Wednesday that the talks had “failed” and that its negotiators were preparing to return home.

A Pakistani official confirmed that members of Islamabad’s delegation, who had already checked out of their hotel, were called back after the mediators’ last-minute intervention.

“The Afghan Taliban reached out to the hosts, assuring a revision of their position,” a security source said. “Pakistan decided to give diplomacy one more chance but will not back down from its principled stance that Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.”

The Istanbul talks built on an earlier round held in Doha on Oct 18-19, which produced a ceasefire following a week of cross-border skirmishes. Thursday’s agreement extends that truce and adds a new verification framework designed to prevent future breakdowns.

Under the accord signed in Istanbul, “principals” from both sides will meet on Nov 6 in Istanbul to finalise the operational modalities of the verification mechanism, including its composition, reporting procedures and penalties for violations.

Though the statement didn’t specify who the ‘principals’ would be, it is expected that it meant the defence ministers of the two countries, who led their sides in the first round in Doha, would now meet in Istanbul.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, commenting on the development, said, “Just as the Islamic emirate seeks good relations with other neighbouring countries, it also desires positive ties with Pakistan and remains committed to relations based on mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs and not posing a threat to any side.”

The resumption of dialogue followed a day of fiery rhetoric from both capitals. On Wednesday, Pakistani cabinet ministers warned of severe retaliation if any terrorist attack inside Pakistan was traced to Afghan soil. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif went further, threatening to “obliterate” the Taliban regime if provoked.

“Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures,” Mr Asif said. “Be rest assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom.”

In Kabul, Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, whose brother Anas Haqqani is part of the Taliban delegation in Istanbul, accused Islamabad of “fanning the flames” of war.

“There are some people there who, knowingly or unknowingly, are inciting war,” Mr Haqqani said at a ceremony in Kabul. “Afghans have reached peace after many hardships and do not want war. Yet, there are some who, against the interests of their own people, drive another believing nation towards conflict and even threaten an Islamic system.”

“Afghans hope to live together in peace and tranquillity, but if anyone invades or aggresses, we will defend ourselves,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Defence Minister Asif said a “ray of light” was visible in the Istanbul negotiations and there was room for “guarded optimism” for a breakthrough, although nothing conclusive could be said at this stage.

Speaking to Geo News before the deal was signed on Thursday, the minister said that whereas hope had completely flatlined before, there were “some signs now”, although he made it clear that he could not say anything conclusive, according to a Dawn.com report.

“Qatar and Turkiye are very respected by us and are our well-wishers. Turkiye clearly openly supported us in the Pakistan-India conflict, so we respect them and their opinion,” the defence minister said.

“They brought us (negotiators) back from the airport after our hope diminished during the negotiations. They said, ‘Let’s try this again,’ so a certain kind of diplomacy is still being conducted between the two sides and different scenarios are being constructed.”

‘Verifiable action’

The Istanbul negotiations centred on Pakistan’s core demand that Afghanistan take “clear, verifiable and irreversible action” against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups involved in cross-border attacks from Afghan territory.

Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, speaking earlier in Peshawar, reiterated Pakistan’s red lines, saying that while Islamabad desired peace with all its neighbours, it “will not allow cross-border terrorism to be perpetrated from Afghan soil against Pakistan.”

The Taliban delegation, while participating in the dialogue, however, maintained that it could not fully control TTP operatives. A senior Taliban official said the Afghan side had offered to detain and expel any TTP members found on Afghan territory.

“But Pakistan keeps insisting that we control TTP’s attacks inside Pakistan,” the official said. “These fighters are Pakistani nationals operating within Pakistan.”

Pakistani negotiators also demanded that the Taliban formally declare the TTP a terrorist organisation and publicly denounce it as a fitna — an Islamic term for sedition or mischief.

Diplomatic sources said direct interaction between the two delegations remained limited throughout the five days, with most communication handled through mediators. “Even during meal breaks, the sides barely spoke,” one source said.

Afghanistan continues to deny harbouring militants, accusing Pakistan instead of violating its sovereignty through airstrikes and, according to Afghan media, allowing US drones to operate from its airspace — a charge Islamabad denies. Kabul insisted during the talks that any future agreement must include assurances against such operations.

While the Istanbul agreement marks a breakthrough after days of tension, diplomats cautioned that deep mistrust persists. “This is a framework for peace, not yet peace itself,” a foreign diplomat said. “It will take sustained verification, discipline and trust to make it hold.”

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2025