Diplomatic Firestorm Erupts Over TTP Handover Proposal In Pak-Afghan Talks | Exclusive Details

Last Updated:November 02, 2025, 00:38 IST

The diplomatic fallout centres on the issue of individuals deemed security threats to Pakistan, including members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

The sharp public contradiction confirms the deep distrust and continuing deadlock between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban over cross-border militancy. File pic/AP

A significant controversy has emerged regarding the recent Istanbul dialogues between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime, CNN-News18 has learnt, with both sides presenting dramatically different accounts of discussions concerning the handover of militants. The diplomatic fallout centres on the issue of individuals deemed security threats to Pakistan, including members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Afghan Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that during the negotiations in Istanbul, the Islamic Emirate offered to deport individuals that Pakistan considers a security threat. Mujahid stated that this proposal was rejected by the Pakistani side.

Instead, Mujahid alleges that Pakistan requested the Islamic Emirate to only “rein in these people within Afghanistan instead of deporting them". He reiterated that the Islamic Emirate’s policy prohibits migrants from carrying weapons and pledged to take “appropriate action" if Pakistan provides credible information about potential threats.

In a highly charged accusation, Mujahid further stated that Pakistan’s recent actions, including reported airstrikes and border closures, suggest it is “playing dirty" and attempting to “create conditions for the US to return to the Bagram airbase".

Pakistan’s government has issued a swift and emphatic rejection, accusing the Afghan spokesperson of “deliberate twisting of facts" that are “false and misleading".

Pakistan maintains that its primary demand at the Istanbul talks was that terrorists in Afghanistan who pose a threat to Pakistan must be “controlled or arrested".

When the Afghan delegation proposed that these individuals were Pakistani nationals, Pakistan immediately countered by proposing that they “be handed over through designated border posts", consistent with Pakistan’s long-standing position on the transfer of wanted individuals. Pakistan’s statement underscores that any claim suggesting it rejected a handover of security threats is factually incorrect and contrary to the official record.

The sharp public contradiction confirms the deep distrust and continuing deadlock between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban over cross-border militancy, which remains the central hurdle to stable bilateral relations.

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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