Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that a “ray of light” was visible in the Istanbul negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid current tensions, and there was room for “guarded optimism” for a breakthrough, although nothing conclusive could be said at this stage.

Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations had begun in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern of terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan had been a bone of contention, resulting in a stalemate.

Asif said earlier today that talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on cross-border terrorism could resume if Kabul signaled a shift in its attitude.

Speaking in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Asif said that whereas hope had completely flatlined before, there were “some signs now”, although he made it clear that he could not say anything conclusive.

Describing how the process of the talks worked, he said different drafts were prepared and when one side agreed to one, it was sent to the other side for amendments, after which it came back for review.

“Different drafts are being exchanged for an eventual agreement. You can say that some ray of light is visible; there is very guarded optimism. Let’s hope that some shape emerges from this.”

“Qatar and Turkiye are very respected by us and are our well-wishers. Turkiye clearly openly supported us in the Pakistan-India conflict, so we respect them and their opinion,” said the defence minister.

“They brought us (negotiators) back from the airport after our hope diminished during the negotiations. They said, ‘Let’s try this again’ so a certain kind of diplomacy is still being conducted between the two sides and different scenarios are being constructed.”

Questioned about whether his optimism referred to a written agreement, the defence minister said: “We are not backing off from that, no. Whatever these commitments will be, will be written and witnessed and endorsed by Qatar and Turkiye; there is no doubt about this.”

Asif said that, unlike Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban regime had a certain dependence on Qatar due to the role the Gulf country had played in brokering talks with other nations previously. Consequently, the leaders of the neighbouring country were obliged, to some extent, to Qatar and had to defer to it.

The defence minister reiterated that any agreement was unacceptable to Pakistan if it was not in writing.

Questioned about his earlier meeting with the American chargé d’affaires and whether there was any backdoor role of the United States in the talks, Asif said the topic was not discussed and “it was a routine meeting … it was a long, nice meeting, but politics were not discussed”.

Asked about a possible issue with Afghanistan over the construction of a dam on the Kunar river, the minister declined to say anything other than that Pakistan had “leverage” in the matter. “They won’t even be able to do 100 per cent of what they’re thinking of,” he said.

Asif added that Kabul could not unilaterally deny Islamabad the rights to the river by damming or diverting it.

In a separate post on X, he said: “The claim by the Afghanistan delegation that the TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) terrorists are actually Pakistani refugees on Afghan soil who are simply returning to their homes in Pakistan.”

The defence minister questioned “what kind of refugees are these who are heading to their homes armed with extremely destructive weapons, and not travelling by roads on buses, trucks, or vehicles, but instead entering Pakistan like thieves through the mountains on difficult and impassable routes”.

This interpretation is itself proof that Afghanistan’s intentions are devoid of sincerity and purity, he added.

Border skirmishes and failed talks

Pakistan and Afghanistan saw a worsening of ties in weeks, which featured border skirmishes, counter-statements and allegations.

The hostilities began earlier this month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghanistan on the night of October 11. The attack had followed an allegation from the Afghan Taliban of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan — an accusation which Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied.

For its part, Islamabad has long demanded that the Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. The Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil.

Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to grapple with the issue of terrorism and has suffered multiple casualties among security forces in intelligence-based operations.

After the initial skirmish on October 11, multiple others took place along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Meanwhile, strikes by Islamabad also targeted Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan.

Eventually, the two sides came together for dialogue in Doha, which resulted in a temporary ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries.

Last week, the second round of talks, which were being mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, between the two sides began in the Turkish capital.

But on Wednesday, Tarar announced in a post on X that the latest round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul “failed to bring about any workable solution”. He also asserted that Pakistan would continue to take all possible measures to protect its citizens from terrorism.