Pakistan announced on Wednesday that security talks with Afghanistan's Taliban regime in Istanbul have failed, accusing the Afghan delegation of giving "no assurances" on taking action against militant groups using Afghan soil to launch attacks. In a statement, Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said that after four days of dialogue, the Afghan side had failed to provide a workable solution and instead resorted to a "blame game, deflection and ruses." He warned that Pakistan's "patience has run its course" and that the government would take all necessary measures to "decimate the terrorists, their sanctuaries, their abetters and supporters." The talks, facilitated by Qatar and Turkey, were arranged to give "peace a chance" and focused on a single agenda point: soliciting "credible and decisive action" from the Afghan Taliban to prevent militant organisations from using Afghanistan as a base for terrorist activities in Pakistan. "Over the last four days of dialogue, the Afghan Taliban delegation repeatedly agreed to Pakistan's logical and legitimate demand," the statement said. "Sufficient and irrefutable evidence was provided by Pakistan which was acknowledged by Afghan Taliban and the hosts, however, regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurances." "The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution," Tarar said. Islamabad has repeatedly engaged with the Taliban regime since it took control of Kabul, raising concerns about cross-border terrorism from groups it described as the "Indian-abetted" Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Tarar said Pakistan had asked the Taliban "time and again to fulfil their written commitments to Pakistan and to the international community in the Doha Agreement," but that these efforts had "proved futile due to the Afghan Taliban Regime's unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists." He accused the Taliban regime of desiring to "drag and mire Afghan people into a needless war" because it "thrives on a war economy." While thanking Qatar and Turkey for their "sincerest efforts" in facilitating the dialogue, the minister reiterated that the security of Pakistan's people was of paramount importance. "We will continue to take all possible measures necessary to protect our people from the menace of terrorism and assure them that the Government of Pakistan will continue to employ all the resources which are required in this regard," the statement concluded.
