ISTANBUL: Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban on Friday agreed to continue the ceasefire, and the next meeting is scheduled to be held on November 6, 2025, to discuss further modalities for implementation, according to a joint statement issued after talks in Istanbul.
The negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan took place in Istanbul under the mediation of Türkiye and Qatar.
According to the joint statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, delegations from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Qatar met in Istanbul from October 25 to 30, 2025, to consolidate the ceasefire agreed upon in Doha on October 18–19, 2025, with Turkish and Qatari mediation.
“All parties have agreed on the continuation of the ceasefire,” the statement said. “Further modalities for its implementation will be discussed and decided in a principal-level meeting in Istanbul on November 6, 2025.”
It added that all parties agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure the maintenance of peace and impose penalties on any violating side.
The mediators, Türkiye and Qatar, expressed appreciation for the active engagement of both Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, reiterating their readiness to continue facilitating dialogue in pursuit of lasting peace and stability.
The development comes after Islamabad announced that the previous round of negotiations had failed, despite intensive efforts by Turkish and Qatari mediators.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar stated that Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban regime to honor its written commitments under the Doha Agreement.
“However, Pakistan’s efforts proved futile due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists,” he said.
Sources revealed that Afghan representatives had refused to provide written assurances regarding action against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan, on the other hand, demanded verifiable guarantees from the Taliban that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
Mediators also acknowledged Pakistan’s security concerns, recognizing them as legitimate and critical for regional peace and stability.