Regional Fallout and New Alliances
This diplomatic collapse comes as Islamabad's distrust of Kabul grows, with officials openly suggesting India now influences Afghan policy—a narrative that further hardens positions on both sides. The Afghan side, meanwhile, says Pakistan is looking for scapegoats and seeking impossible guarantees on controlling the TTP, whose fighters are of Pakistani origin.aljazeera+2
Analysts warn that as dialogue falters, the risk of another violent border flare-up soars. This crisis could spill into a wider proxy contest involving India, threatening long-term peace and stability in South Asia.newindianexpress+2
For now, with lines of communication cut and blame at its peak, the possibility of renewed violence—amid charges of external puppetry—is very real for both nations.
After peace negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan collapsed, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused Kabul of acting as a proxy for India and warned that any aggression against Islamabad would be met with a "50 times stronger" response. Speaking to Pakistani media, Asif launched a sharp attack on Afghanistan's leadership, claiming that its "puppet strings" were being controlled by Delhi.
"The people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi," he said, as quoted by Dawn.
"Whenever we got close to an agreement when negotiators reported to Kabul, there was intervention, and the agreement was withdrawn," he told the channel.
This came after the dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan "failed to bring about any workable solution" despite mediation by Qatar and Turkey. The state media in both countries said there was an impasse in the talks, with both sides blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harbouring militants linked to a surge in attacks, while Kabul denies its territory is being used against Pakistan.
The four days of negotiations in Istanbul followed an earlier round in Doha that produced a ceasefire on October 19 after deadly border clashes between the two sides left dozens dead, including soldiers, civilians, and militants.
What is the deadlock over?
Earlier, on Tuesday, three Pakistani security officials who had direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that there was a deadlock in the talks in Istanbul over the reluctance of Kabul in accepting demands about assurances that Afghan soil not be used against Pakistan. They said the host country was trying to end the deadlock so that the final round of the talks could resume as soon as possible.
According to the Pakistani officials, the Taliban delegation was "not fully willing" to accept Pakistan's proposals and continued to seek guidance from Kabul before making decisions.
Afghanistan-controlled media RTA made similar accusations against the Pakistani side, saying Kabul "made every effort to hold constructive talks", but that the "Pakistani side does not seem to have this intention."
