Islamabad: The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban is underway in Istanbul, Turkiye. However, on the basis of track record of Afghan side, we have observed that Afghan Taliban don’t honour any commitment either with Pakistan or with the world. However, as other friendly countries are putting pressure on them this time, they will have to honour their international commitments and bilateral agreements. Then we will have to come up with some sort of professional business like accurate and strict border management with Afghanistan. Without this management, we won’t be able to channelize our bilateral trade and bilateral movement between the two countries. We don’t have any problem about their internal decisions but we have sole objection over their illicit activities like narcotics trade, smuggling and cross border movement through irregular channels. We need to curb this sort of activities of Taliban regime. Taliban will have to come up with strong institutions in the country if they wa
nt to win world recognition. In this regard, neighbouring countries may help and assist Afghanistan. Actually, Taliban don’t have any vision about their country therefore they are playing in the hands of India. Actually India is abusing Taliban regime and creating problems between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I think that we may expect some sort of basic agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan from the second round of bilateral ties in Istanbul and this agreement may further be improved at later stage.

According to Radio Pakistan, the talks are an opportunity for both nations to address longstanding issues that have strained their relationship. The focus of the discussions is expected to be on enhancing border management and curbing illicit activities that have been a point of contention. Observers note that the involvement of other friendly countries in the negotiations may increase the likelihood of a positive outcome, as external pressure could lead the Afghan Taliban to adhere to international norms and bilateral agreements.

The talks also highlight the necessity for the Afghan Taliban to establish strong institutions within Afghanistan to gain international recognition. The current state of affairs, as described by Amb. Waheed Ahmad, suggests that the lack of vision in the Taliban’s governance is being exploited by other regional players, notably India, to create discord between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The negotiations in Istanbul represent a chance for the two countries to lay down the groundwork for a potential agreement that could be refined in future discussions, ultimately leading to improved bilateral relations.