Pakistan’s Defence Minister Signals Military Option as Istanbul Talks Begin

Post by : Raina Nasser

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif issued a stark warning to the Taliban government hours before peace talks between Kabul and Islamabad opened in Istanbul, a move that has intensified tensions and overshadowed diplomatic efforts to curb weeks of deadly border clashes and drone incidents.

During a televised exchange, Asif declared, “War will happen,” when questioned about whether force might be the only recourse against the Taliban, accusing Kabul of sheltering militants and tolerating cross-border attacks. Kabul, for its part, denounced Pakistani drone strikes affecting civilians and accused Islamabad of remaining silent over alleged ISIS training sites.

The negotiations — brokered by Turkiye and Qatar — are intended to consolidate a fragile ceasefire agreed in Doha last month. The prior Istanbul session ended on October 30 with a joint commitment to extend the truce and set up monitoring and verification arrangements to stabilise the border.

The Afghan team is led by Intelligence Chief Abdul Haq Wasiq and includes senior Taliban figures such as Anas Haqqani and acting envoy to Qatar Suhail Shaheen. Pakistan’s delegation is headed by National Security Adviser and ISI chief Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim, underscoring Islamabad’s prioritisation of security issues over political reconciliation.

Disruptions along the frontier and commerce continue to be major sticking points: more than 8,000 Afghan containers remain held in Pakistan and roughly 4,000 more await clearance, inflicting economic pain on both sides. Analysts caution that escalating rhetoric could quickly unravel the delicate truce and threaten wider regional stability.

In the diplomatic back-and-forth, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry rejected assertions by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar that Islamabad maintains frequent contacts with Kabul, calling those claims false and inconsistent with diplomatic norms. Dar also criticised past ISI activities linked to the Taliban’s return, suggesting they contributed to a turn of hostility toward Pakistan.

Mediators from Turkiye and Qatar are expected to push both delegations to agree on accountability steps and an independent verification mechanism to enforce the ceasefire. Still, with Islamabad’s veiled military threat and Kabul’s firm rebuttals, the opening of talks in Istanbul reflects how precarious the prospects for lasting peace remain.