Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan and Afghanistan held an unpublicised round of talks in Riyadh, but the brief engagement ended without any indication of progress, Dawn reported citing multiple diplomatic sources.
The discussion, quietly arranged by Saudi officials late on Sunday, was meant to ease the strain between the two neighbours after October’s border clashes and Islamabad’s renewed insistence that Kabul curb militant outfits operating from Afghan territory.
The Afghan Taliban’s team, led by Anas Haqqani and Rahmatullah Najib, met their Pakistani counterparts, which included officials who had previously taken part in the Istanbul sessions under the Türkiye–Qatar initiative. A representative from Pakistan’s Foreign Office also joined the delegation.
However, unlike the earlier, lengthier meetings held in Doha and Istanbul, this conversation wrapped up quickly. One insider described it as “a brief exchange, not a full round of negotiations,” the paper added.
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Officials said Pakistan repeated its demand for verifiable action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other militant groups Islamabad says are based inside Afghanistan. The Taliban delegation, however, stuck to its established position, leaving the dialogue at a standstill.
Saudi authorities, who have been quietly encouraging the two sides to remain engaged, suggested that Pakistan consider reopening bilateral trade even as counterterrorism talks continue. Islamabad reportedly declined the proposal.
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The Riyadh effort comes at a time when the Türkiye–Qatar track has stalled. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had earlier indicated that a team would be dispatched to Islamabad, but the visit has yet to take place. That channel had produced a temporary ceasefire, though Pakistan later said the arrangement collapsed because it depended on an end to militant activity.
Despite the latest deadlock, Saudi Arabia plans to remain involved and may call for another meeting in the coming weeks.
