- FO spokesperson says Islamabad ‘won’t shy away’ from Iran-led peace push, insists Pakistan holds a ‘very strong case’ on cross-border terror
- Three rounds of Pakistan–Afghanistan talks fail to break deadlock, prompting Turkey, Qatar, Iran and Russia step in to salvage stalled dialogue
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday welcomed Iran’s offer to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul amid a prolonged deadlock in counterterrorism talks and a sharp rise in border hostilities, with the Foreign Office (FO) insisting that Islamabad “will not shy away” from any diplomatic initiative aimed at facilitating peace.
The gesture comes as regional powers, including Turkiye, Qatar, Iran and Russia, push for renewed engagement between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban following several failed rounds of negotiations.
Responding to media queries on Tehran’s reported efforts to convene a regional mediation meeting, FO spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi on Sunday said Islamabad appreciated the gesture from a “brotherly, friendly country” and viewed Iran’s involvement as constructive.
“Iran is a brotherly, friendly country. Pakistan is always in favour of finding peaceful resolutions of issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and we appreciate the offer of mediation of our brotherly country, Iran,” Andrabi said.
He maintained that Islamabad had “a very strong case” on the matter of cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and therefore had no hesitation in accepting any third-party facilitation. “Generally, mediations are resented by a country or a side which is on a weak legal or political case. Pakistan’s case on this issue, on terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, is very strong. So, obviously, we will not shy away from mediation,” he said.
Pakistan has persistently asked the Kabul administration to take decisive action against terrorist elements using Afghan soil to stage attacks inside Pakistan—a charge the Afghan Taliban deny.
Earlier this month, the third round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul—held in Istanbul with Turkiye and Qatar as mediators—collapsed without agreement after both sides failed to bridge deep differences over preventing cross-border terrorism. The dialogue followed deadly clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier in October.
The border skirmishes erupted late on the night of October 11 and continued into the next morning. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed as Islamabad responded to Kabul’s aggression. Afghanistan termed its action “retaliatory,” accusing Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes inside Afghan territory. Islamabad neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the strikes but reiterated its demand that Kabul “stop harboring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan on its soil.”
Subsequent rounds of talks progressed fitfully. A ceasefire on October 15 enabled both sides to meet in Doha, followed by a second round in Ankara on October 25, which Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later declared had “failed to bring about any workable solution.” Mediation by Turkiye and Qatar nevertheless led to a joint statement on October 31 outlining continued engagement, with a principal-level meeting scheduled for November 6 in Istanbul.
But on November 7, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that talks addressing cross-border terrorism were “over” and had entered an “indefinite phase.” In retaliation, the Afghan Taliban suspended trade ties with Pakistan.
Iran and Russia have since urged Islamabad and Kabul to sustain dialogue. On Nov 9, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had spoken with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, expressing Tehran’s readiness to assist. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced that senior Turkish officials would visit Islamabad next week to discuss the escalating tensions.
