Istanbul talks: Mediators endorse Pakistan's evidence-based stance against cross-border terrorism, says FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Tahir Hussain Andrabi on Friday said that during the Istanbul talks, Pakistan had handed over its evidence-based demands to the mediators with the sole objective of ending cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban on Thursday resumed peace talks in Istanbul, marking the third round of negotiations after previous discussions failed to secure a lasting truce. The talks are being held under the joint mediation of Turkiye and Qatar.

Addressing his weekly media briefing, the spokesperson said the talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime began in Istanbul with the participation of the mediators.

“Pakistan’s delegation has presented its evidence-based, justified, and logical demands to the mediators with the singular aim of ending cross-border terrorism,” Ambassador Andrabi stated. “The mediators have fully endorsed Pakistan’s stance based on the evidence provided, as well as on the tenets of international law and principles.”

He added that the mediators were now discussing Pakistan’s demands with the Afghan Taliban delegation point by point.

The spokesperson urged the media to disregard misleading information being circulated on social media, particularly from Afghan-linked accounts, terming such reports as speculative or part of a deliberate disinformation campaign.

Notably, the tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated last month when the Afghan Taliban launched unprovoked attacks on Pakistani positions along the border during the night of October 11–12, 2025.

Both sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Doha on October 19, but a second round of talks in Istanbul last week ended without progress toward a long-term peace deal.

The deadlock stemmed from the Afghan Taliban’s reluctance to act against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating inside Afghanistan.