Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to continue a recently established ceasefire and to finalise a monitoring and verification mechanism at a principal-level meeting in Istanbul on November 6, according to a joint statement released by Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The announcement followed six days of talks in Istanbul from October 25–30, convened by Türkiye and Qatar to “solidify” a truce first agreed by Kabul and Islamabad in Doha on October 18–19 under the same mediators.
“All parties have agreed on continuation of ceasefire,” the statement said, adding that negotiators will now focus on the “modalities of implementation,” to be settled at next week’s senior level session.
In a bid to preserve calm and deter violations, the sides also committed to establishing a monitoring and verification system that would both ensure compliance and impose penalties on any violator, the mediators said.
Türkiye and Qatar praised the “active contribution” of both delegations and pledged to keep supporting the process in pursuit of “lasting peace and stability.”
The Istanbul talks are the latest attempt to reduce tensions along one of the region’s most fragile frontiers, with mediators positioning the verification mechanism and upcoming principal-level meeting as key steps from a preliminary truce toward an enforceable agreement.
Outcome of Pakistan-Afghanistan recently held talks in Istanbul
Pakistan said yesterday that despite repeated rounds of engagement with the Afghan Taliban, Kabul has not recognised Islamabad’s “legitimate” demands to curb cross-border terrorism and end support for militant outfits operating from Afghan soil to destabilise Pakistan.
The statement, echoed by the information minister on X, followed four days of talks in Istanbul that came after an earlier round in Doha.
Pakistan said the single-point agenda was to secure “credible and decisive” action against groups it identifies as threats, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
According to Islamabad, ample evidence was presented to the Afghan delegation and acknowledged by the hosts, Qatar and Türkiye. However, officials said the Afghan side offered no assurances and “deviated from the core issue,” leaving the process without a workable outcome.
Pakistan has framed the request as consistent with commitments referenced in the Doha Agreement, urging the Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their territory for planning or launching attacks against other countries.
