Doha talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan likely to focus on security over long-term issues

New Delhi: The Qatar-mediated negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have brought temporary relief to border residents after last week’s fierce clashes along the Durand Line. However, tensions resurfaced on Friday as Afghan officials accused Pakistan of conducting air strikes in Paktika province, killing at least 10 people, including three Afghan cricketers, thereby breaching the fragile truce agreed upon two days earlier.

Islamabad has previously launched similar air raids inside Afghanistan, including near Kabul, citing security concerns and accusing the Taliban regime of sheltering groups hostile to Pakistan. Reports suggest that the intended targets of these attacks were not present in the bombed areas, and Islamabad has not yet issued an apology for civilian casualties, complicating the diplomatic atmosphere ahead of the Doha talks.

The absence of an apology has hardened Afghan public opinion against Pakistan, putting pressure on the Taliban delegation, led by Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid and intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq, to demand formal guarantees rather than accept vague assurances.

Pakistan’s delegation includes Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief Asim Malik, both known for their hardline stance toward the Taliban. Asif has frequently alleged that the Taliban are “aligned with India”, while Islamabad’s Foreign Ministry has described Afghanistan as a “hub for transnational terrorism”.

The Doha meeting, facilitated by Qatar and Turkey, follows a week of escalating violence and a short-lived ceasefire. Qatar, which has played a central role in Afghan diplomacy, including hosting the 2020 US-Taliban peace deal, is once again acting as a mediator between the two sides.

Analysts suggest that the presence of defence and intelligence officials indicates that the talks will focus primarily on immediate security concerns rather than broader political or economic issues. Nonetheless, observers believe that this could still mark a step towards future negotiations if confidence-building measures and monitoring mechanisms are agreed upon.

Diplomatic sources quoted by Afghanistan’s Khaama Press described the Doha meeting as a key test of Qatar’s mediation, given the deep mistrust between Kabul and Islamabad. Without a sustainable ceasefire and improved intelligence cooperation, they warn, cross-border violence could intensify further, threatening regional stability and worsening the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan’s border provinces.