Pakistan - Taliban Peace Talks Collapsed in Istanbul Over US Drone Deal, But Islamabad Resorts To The ‘Blame India’ Distraction

What began as a high-profile attempt at reconciliation between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban has ended in yet another diplomatic disaster. The much-anticipated Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks in Istanbul, facilitated by Turkey and Qatar, collapsed dramatically exposing the deep-rooted mistrust, hypocrisy, and internal chaos that plague Islamabad’s foreign policy.

According to diplomatic sources, the talks broke down after Pakistan admitted for the first time that it has a standing agreement with the United States to permit drone operations from its soil a revelation that enraged the Afghan delegation. This rare acknowledgment laid bare the duplicity of Pakistan’s military establishment, which has long denied such collaboration while accusing others of violating its sovereignty. What was meant to be a step toward regional peace instead became a theatre of exposed secrets, shifting loyalties, and political humiliation.

Drone Deal Exposed, Talks in Free Fall

The Istanbul dialogue had started with cautious optimism. Mediators from Qatar and Turkey had reportedly finalized most agenda points, leaving only a few clauses for negotiation. But within hours, that optimism dissolved. Eyewitnesses described the Pakistani delegation’s behaviour as “disorderly and confrontational,” with heated verbal exchanges directed at Afghan officials and mediators alike.

The breaking point came when Pakistan’s representatives confirmed, under diplomatic questioning, that U.S. drone operations were indeed being conducted with Islamabad’s consent. This statement instantly drew a furious response from the Taliban-led Afghan delegation, which accused Pakistan of “betraying the region” and undermining Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

When pressed for guarantees that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used for U.S. drone strikes inside Afghanistan, Islamabad initially appeared agreeable. However, after an “urgent phone call” from Rawalpindi  believed to be from top army leadership the delegation reversed its position, claiming it had “no control” over American drones or the presence of ISIS (Daesh) elements in the region. That abrupt U-turn ended any remaining hope of reconciliation.

Pakistan’s Habitual Blame Game: Turning Failure into Propaganda

Rather than owning up to its failed policies and double games, Islamabad quickly reverted to its favourite diversionary tactic blaming India. In the aftermath of the Istanbul collapse, Pakistani officials began floating the narrative that India is waging a “proxy war” to destabilize Pakistan through Afghanistan.

However, the international community and even sections within Pakistan see through this smokescreen. For decades, it is Pakistan’s own military establishment and the ISI that have sponsored, trained, and armed terror groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed to wage proxy wars against India. Some of the very terror outfits, once Islamabad’s “strategic assets,” have now turned their guns on their masters.

As one Afghan diplomat told mediators, “Pakistan created these monsters to control Afghanistan. Now those monsters are devouring Pakistan.”

Indeed, the TTP originally nurtured by Pakistan’s intelligence network to counter India’s presence in Afghanistan has become one of Islamabad’s worst nightmares. After the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, the TTP found safe haven across the border and launched deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The very snake that Pakistan fed for decades is now biting back viciously.

Munir’s Army Under Pressure: Desperate to Distract

The timing of Pakistan’s blame-India rhetoric also coincides with its military’s growing embarrassment under Army Chief General Asim Munir. In recent months, Pakistan’s army has faced humiliating setbacks both at home and abroad. On the eastern border, Indian forces have responded with unprecedented precision to Pakistani provocations, inflicting significant damage on forward positions and terror launch pads during Operation Sindoor.

On the western frontier, the Taliban’s increasing aggression and cross-border attacks have left the Pakistani army demoralized. Clashes in North Waziristan and Kurram have exposed Pakistan’s waning control over the tribal belt areas once touted as the “nerve centers” of ISI operations.

According to regional analysts, the collapse of the Istanbul talks is not an isolated diplomatic incident but part of a larger pattern of strategic confusion within Pakistan’s military establishment. Unable to contain the Taliban threat or justify continued U.S. cooperation on drones, the army has resorted to creating external villains  and India remains its favourite target.

Every time Pakistan’s internal security implodes, Rawalpindi blames India. It’s a reflex, not a strategy.

Qatari and Turkish mediators, who had invested significant diplomatic capital in facilitating the talks, were reportedly shocked by the Pakistani delegation’s behaviour. One observer described the scene as “unprecedented in diplomatic circles”, with the Pakistani representatives “losing composure and resorting to insults”. The breakdown was so severe that one source called it “sabotage by design.”

The head of the Pakistani team, identified as Major General Shahab Aslam, who is head of the Special Operations Division of the ISI, reportedly demanded that the Afghan Taliban “summon and control” all violent groups operating against Pakistan – including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Afghan side countered sharply, noting that the TTP members are Pakistani nationals, not Afghans, and that it was beyond Kabul’s authority to “control Pakistan’s own citizens”.

ISI’s Major General Aslam is the same Pakistan Army officer who had been earlier accused of coordinating and monitoring the Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan’s Lashkar e Tayyiba terror group in India’s Jammu & Kashmir, in which 26 innocent civilians were killed.

The Afghan representatives maintained that they are committed to ensuring no attacks on Pakistan originate from Afghan soil, reiterating the Islamic Emirate’s official stance that the TTP issue is Pakistan’s internal problem. In return, they requested that Pakistan guarantee the integrity of Afghan airspace and stop hosting or supporting US drone missions.

At one point, sources say, the debate escalated into a direct confrontation when Major General Aslam dismissed the drone issue as “off the table”. The Qatari ambassador reportedly intervened, reminding him that Afghan concerns deserved to be heard. In a tense exchange, the Pakistani general retorted that American drones operate from a US airbase in Qatar and questioned why Doha did not halt them – to which the ambassador responded, “We have an agreement with the US” Major General Aslam’s reply – “So do we” – effectively confirmed Pakistan’s formal cooperation with US drone operations.

The failure of the Istanbul talks has not only frozen the peace process but also escalated the risk of military confrontation at the Af-Pak border. Afghan sources have warned that any future Pakistani strikes will be met with “reciprocal action”, stating that if Afghan territory is bombed, “Islamabad will be targeted.”

The Afghan side insists it attended the talks “in good faith”, while accusing Pakistan of using the platform to shift blame and seek unrealistic concessions. Pakistani disunity, particularly between civilian officials in KPK and the powerful military establishment, appears to have crippled Islamabad’s ability to negotiate consistently.

Meanwhile, analysts note that Pakistan’s internal instability, its contentious relationship with Washington, and its controversial use of drones against both Afghan and Pashtun civilians have compounded mistrust.

The collapse in Istanbul represents not just a diplomatic failure but a setback for regional stability. The talks had been viewed as a rare chance to reset relations between the two neighbours, which share a long, porous, and often violent border. Instead, the meeting ended in acrimony and mutual recrimination, leaving the future of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations more uncertain than ever.

For now, dialogue appears to be off the table. Both sides are retreating into hardened positions and the mediators, caught in the crossfire, are left wondering if peace between Islamabad and Kabul was ever truly within reach.