Pakistan says it remains open to talks with Afghanistan but will not enter negotiations without conditions, insisting that Kabul must take verifiable steps to prevent militant activity directed at Pakistan from Afghan territory.
At a Foreign Office briefing on 16 October, spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Islamabad was not avoiding dialogue, including direct engagement with Afghan representatives. However, he said meaningful progress depended on concrete action against armed groups operating from Afghanistan.
What Pakistan is demanding
The spokesperson described Pakistan’s central demand as a verifiable mechanism to ensure that attacks against Pakistan do not originate from Afghan soil. His comments followed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s 12 October call for concrete, verifiable and irreversible action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant organisations.
The position is more specific than a blanket rejection of talks: Islamabad says discussions remain possible if they address its security concerns and produce tangible results. The Foreign Office did not announce a new agreement, timetable or monitoring mechanism at the briefing.
Contacts and mediation
Pakistan said its engagement with Afghanistan continues through diplomatic channels, including special representatives. The spokesperson also referred to discussions in the Moscow Format and Pakistan’s willingness to welcome sincere assistance from friendly countries.
He expressly said he was unaware of any separate, formal Russian mediation initiative under discussion. That distinction matters: an openness to outside assistance is not confirmation that a new Russia-led peace process has begun.
What remains unresolved
The immediate question is whether Islamabad and Kabul can agree on measures whose implementation can be independently assessed. Pakistan’s statements set out its demands but do not establish that Afghan authorities have accepted them. Nor did the briefing establish a date for fresh bilateral negotiations.
For now, the diplomatic opening remains conditional, with Pakistan framing counterterrorism verification as the central test of any renewed process.
Sources: Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, briefing transcript, 16 October 2026; Government of Pakistan Press Information Department, Ishaq Dar remarks, 12 October 2026; Dawn, 17 October 2026