By Zhu Yongbiao and Hu Ning
An Afghan government spokesperson announced on November 8, 2025, that the second round of talks between Afghan and Pakistani delegations, held in Istanbul, Turkey, had ended without agreement. Prior to the talks, multiple border clashes had occurred between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Analysts noted that since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Pakistani government initially welcomed their comeback. However, bilateral relations have not developed smoothly; instead, they have been hampered by deep structural contradictions, which is a key reason why the latest round of talks produced no tangible outcome.
The latest Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes are the result of long-standing tensions between the two sides. According to media reports, on October 9, Pakistan's military launched airstrikes on targets in Kabul and Paktika Province, Afghanistan, claiming to hit hideouts belonging to members of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This action triggered retaliatory fire from Afghan forces along the border, which quickly escalated into large-scale exchanges of fire across the entire frontier. Under the mediation of Qatar and Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement on October 19, temporarily easing the conflict. Subsequently, the two sides held two rounds of talks in Istanbul to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire and concrete mechanisms for strengthening counter terrorism and security cooperation. However, the discussions failed to produce any substantive results and have since been indefinitely suspended.
Analysts note that Afghanistan and Pakistan have long held divergent positions on border demarcation, while the issue of the TTP has further fueled tensions between the two countries. The TTP, founded in 2007, has long exploited the mountainous terrain along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to move covertly between the two countries. It has carried out numerous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan and remains a primary target of the Pakistani military. Many of the previous border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan were linked to TTP attacks on Pakistani territory. After the second round of talks, Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, stated that the Afghan government bears the responsibility to curb terrorism originating within its borders. Pakistan's Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, also emphasized that although the Afghan delegation verbally pledged to honor the agreement, Islamabad believes such a commitment is unlikely to be fulfilled.
In addition to counter terrorism disputes, the recent rapprochement between Afghanistan and India has further heightened Pakistan's unease. Pakistan's latest air strikes on targets inside Afghanistan coincided with the visit of Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi to India. Following the visit, New Delhi announced that its Technical Mission in Kabul would be formally upgraded to an embassy and stated its intention to strengthen bilateral ties with Afghanistan in all areas of mutual interest. The warming of India-Afghanistan relations may have prompted Pakistan to take countermeasures.
At present, for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, taking a hardline stance against the other may help rally domestic support, but further escalation of the conflict would be detrimental to stability and economic development of the two countries. Both sides thus appear willing to keep the confrontation within limited bounds. Analysts note that terrorism is the common enemy of all humanity, and it is essential for nations to strengthen cooperation in combating all forms of terrorism in order to safeguard regional peace and security. The international community should adopt an objective and impartial stance, encouraging both Afghanistan and Pakistan to continue dialogue and explore long-term solutions to their disputes.
(The authors are from the Center for Afghanistan Studies of Lanzhou University.)