Pakistan: Even Mediators Lost Hope When Istanbul Talks with Taliban Failed

DID Press: Pakistan’s Defense Minister, announced that recent round of talks between Pakistani and Afghan delegations in Istanbul ended without any tangible outcome, adding that there are currently no plans to continue the dialogue in the near future.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Asif confirmed that the Pakistani delegation had returned to Islamabad after the conclusion of the talks. He said the discussions produced no results, and no follow-up meeting has been scheduled.

Expressing gratitude to Turkey and Qatar for their mediation efforts, Asif said: “We are thankful to Turkey and Qatar for sincerely playing their roles as mediators. Both countries supported Pakistan’s position during this process.”

However, officials from Turkey and Qatar have so far not commented on the matter.

The Pakistani minister also accused the Taliban delegation of inflexibility and of failing to respond to constructive proposals, adding: “Our return empty-handed shows that even the mediators have lost hope in the dialogue process with Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, sources close to the Taliban delegation said they emphasized Afghanistan’s political independence and insisted that any dialogue must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect.