Amid peace talks in Turkey, Pakistan-Taliban mistrust deepens

New Delhi: The current round of Afghanistan and Pakistan peace talks, being held in Turkey, has been overshadowed by Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan, reflecting the tenuous nature of ties between Kabul and Islamabad.

Pakistan is understood to have provoked an exchange of fire on Thursday near Spin Boldak, a town along the Af-Pak border, even as both sides launched a fresh round of peace talks.

Both sides signed a ceasefire in Doha on October 19, but a second round of negotiations in Istanbul last week ended without a long-term deal. This necessitated a third round. But, according to experts on Afghan affairs, ties are expected to remain tense and lukewarm amid Pakistan's aggressive policies against Kabul.


As the peace talks began, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan received support from Russia. On Thursday, Russian national security advisor, or secretary of the country's Security Council, Sergei Shoigu spoke about significant and positive developments in Afghanistan during a joint meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

While Shoigu expressed concern over Afghanistan's security situation, he emphasised the importance of reintegrating Afghanistan into regional economic structures.

Addressing the same meeting, CSTO secretary-general Imangali Tasmagambetov stressed the implementation of a border security strengthening programme between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. He noted that the stability and development of Afghanistan align with the interests of its neighbouring countries, especially the CSTO member states.

Meanwhile, the head of the Indian diplomatic mission this week held a meeting with the Afghan agriculture minister to assist Kabul with capacity building in the agriculture sector and research.