Security sources say Taliban’s refusal to engage on ground realities now clear to all mediators Pakistan has outlined “clear, evidence-based and solution-oriented” demands to the Afghan Taliban in talks on cross-border militancy; however, security sources say the group’s stubborn defiance raises questions about its commitment.
According to the sources, the Afghan Taliban have shown inflexibility to cooperate or acknowledge ground realities, a stance that has become increasingly clear to other mediating parties as well.
This was the second day of the dialogue, which stretched into Sunday after both sides failed to find common ground on the issue of ending terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan.
Sources said the Pakistani side emphasised that without decisive action, no meaningful progress could be achieved in improving bilateral relations.
“Concrete and definite steps will have to be taken to eliminate this menace,” one security official quoted the delegation as saying. “This is a near one-point agenda. We will not budge on this,’ another official privy to the talks told The Express Tribune.
Security officials described the Taliban’s response as ‘illogical and detached from ground realities’, suggesting that Kabul’s representatives appeared unwilling to acknowledge the problem.
“It seems that the Taliban are following another agenda,” one source said, adding that this approach “is not in the interest of the stability of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region”.
The dialogue reportedly faced difficulties, with insiders saying the talks “encountered problems” despite efforts to keep the process on track. The first round is said to have lasted almost nine hours, during which Pakistan presented a detailed set of proposals to address its security concerns.
The officials said that Islamabad had begun to question the sincerity of the Afghan Taliban in tackling terrorism emanating from their soil — a scepticism reinforced by recent cross-border incidents.
Earlier on Sunday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan had foiled two infiltration attempts from across the Afghan border, carried out by terrorists belonging to the banned TTP.
