Negotiations between the Taliban delegation and Pakistani officials in Saudi Arabia ended without results despite Riyadh’s mediation efforts, Afghanistan International (Afintl.af) reported.
According to sources, the delegation included Taliban Deputy Interior Minister Rahmatullah Najib, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi, and senior Taliban figure Anas Haqqani. Saudi Arabia had earlier expressed its readiness to facilitate dialogue between the sides.
The Taliban has not officially commented on the talks.
Earlier, two rounds of discussions were held in Istanbul with the involvement of Qatar and Turkey, but they also failed to produce any agreements. In total, three rounds of negotiations were conducted with Qatari and Turkish mediation — in Doha and Istanbul. Only the first meeting in Doha resulted in an agreement on an immediate ceasefire.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid earlier acknowledged the failure of the Istanbul consultations. In a statement on X, he noted that the talks “did not bring any results,” accusing “certain elements” within Pakistan’s intelligence services and armed forces of attempting to derail the process and escalate tensions.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 2, 2025