Pakistan blames India for failed Taliban talks but secret US drone deal caused the collapse

The peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul fell apart this week after four long days of discussions. What seemed like another diplomatic failure turned out to have a deeper reason. Reports revealed that the real cause of the breakdown was Pakistan’s secret understanding with the United States over drone operations, not Indian interference as Islamabad had claimed.

A Taliban guard stood watch near the Ghulam Khan zero-point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Gurbuz district, reflecting the fragile calm along the tense border.

As reported by TOLO News, Afghan negotiators asked Pakistan for a written assurance to stop violating Afghan airspace and to prevent any foreign drones from flying over Afghanistan. In return, Kabul promised to restrict anti-Pakistan groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan from operating across the border.

The talks collapsed when the Pakistani side reportedly admitted that a “foreign country” was using its territory for drone operations, which TOLO News later confirmed to be the United States.

“For the first time, Pakistan admitted during these negotiations that it has an agreement with the United States allowing drone strikes, and claimed it cannot break that agreement,” the Afghan outlet reported.

Under US President Donald Trump, Pakistan has grown closer to Washington in defence cooperation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir have both visited the White House. Trump, meanwhile, has demanded that the Taliban return the Bagram Airbase to the US, warning that “bad things will happen” if it does not.

According to negotiators, the Pakistani delegation was initially open to Kabul’s proposal but changed its position after receiving a phone call “likely from Pakistan’s high command.” After that, the delegates claimed they had “no control” over US drone activity and could not make any commitments about it.

Qatari and Turkish mediators were said to be “surprised” by this sudden shift from Pakistan’s side.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif later tried to blame India for the failure of the talks, telling Geo News, “The people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi.”

However, Afghan media pointed out that the Pakistani team changed its stand right after the mysterious phone call, which confirmed that it could not stop US drone missions.

Afghan journalist Tameem Bahiss wrote on X that Pakistan “acknowledged signing an agreement with a ‘foreign country’ that permits drones to operate within its airspace for surveillance and potential strikes inside Afghanistan.”

The collapse of talks comes at a time when a fragile ceasefire is holding along the Durand Line, following deadly clashes in September and October that killed over 200 people on both sides. The Taliban government has accused Pakistan of carrying out air and drone strikes that killed civilians, including women and children.

Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid warned Pakistan that “any fresh violation of Afghan airspace” would be met with a “reciprocal response.”