No Next Round of Pak-Afghan Talks Planned, Says Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister **Khawaja Asif** has announced that the Pak-Afghan negotiations have concluded, and there is currently **no schedule for the next round**. He stated that Pakistan’s empty-handed return from the talks indicates that even mediators have lost hope in achieving progress with Afghanistan.

Expressing gratitude to **Turkey and Qatar** for their mediation efforts, Khawaja Asif said both countries supported Pakistan’s position and played their role sincerely. He explained that the Afghan delegation insisted on **verbal assurances**, which Pakistan could not accept, as international negotiations require **final agreements in writing**. While the Afghan delegation agreed with Pakistan’s stance during discussions, they refused to put it in writing.

Khawaja Asif added that the negotiations have now ended and that mediators have also **withdrawn their support**. “If the mediators had any hope, they would have asked us to wait. If they told us to hold back, we would have,” he said.

The Defence Minister emphasized that Pakistan’s response will depend on actions from Afghan territory: **any attack from Afghan soil will be met accordingly**, while in the absence of such acts, the ceasefire remains intact. Pakistan’s main demand remains that **no attacks be launched from Afghan territory** against Pakistan.

Khawaja Asif also noted that if Afghan Taliban members were willing to be part of a written agreement rather than giving verbal assurances, it would benefit both countries and the region. He added that if the banned TTP is not under Afghan control, Pakistan should be allowed to take action without objection from Afghanistan.

The statement follows the third round of Pak-Afghan talks in **Istanbul**, which ended in a **deadlock** between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban.