Afghan negotiators walked out after Pakistan admitted to a covert drone deal with the US, contradicting Islamabad’s claim that India sabotaged the talks
Afghan negotiators walked out after Pakistan admitted to a covert drone deal with the US, contradicting Islamabad’s claim that India sabotaged the talks.
The Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks in Istanbul collapsed this week after four days of tense negotiations, with Islamabad blaming India for the failure. However, Afghan media reports reveal that the real cause was Pakistan’s secret agreement permitting US drone operations from its territory.
According to TOLO News, Afghan negotiators demanded a written assurance from Pakistan to end airspace violations and halt foreign drone flights over Afghanistan. In return, Kabul offered to curb anti-Pakistan militant activity by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The talks broke down when Pakistan’s delegation admitted that a “foreign country” , later confirmed to be the United States conducts drone operations from Pakistani soil.
Sources said Pakistan initially seemed open to Kabul’s proposal but reversed its stance after a phone call “from the high command.” Qatari and Turkish mediators expressed surprise at the sudden U-turn.
Despite Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s accusations that India influenced the Taliban, Afghan journalists assert the deadlock stemmed from Pakistan’s inability to defy its US drone pact
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