Turkey and Qatar are again engaging with senior Taliban officials as diplomatic efforts continue to address tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban administration.
Recent meetings in Kabul and Kandahar involved Türkiye’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Qatar’s deputy national security adviser Hamad bin Khamis Al-Kubaisi. The officials held separate discussions with senior Taliban figures, including Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and other senior officials.
Kalin also travelled to Kandahar, where he met Mohammad Shirin Akhund, the Taliban governor of Kandahar. According to the governor’s office, discussions covered regional security, stability, counter-narcotics and bilateral coordination. Some reports have also linked the visit to efforts to reduce tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban and bring the two sides back to dialogue.
The latest contacts come amid strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul, particularly over security and cross-border militancy. Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Taliban authorities to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory for attacks against Pakistan. The Taliban has rejected Pakistan’s allegations regarding militant activity from Afghan soil.
Turkey and Qatar have previously played a role in talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In October 2025, the two countries mediated discussions in Doha and Istanbul aimed at maintaining a ceasefire between the two sides. The parties agreed at the time to continue the ceasefire and establish a monitoring and verification mechanism.
Pakistan has also previously acknowledged the mediation efforts of Türkiye and Qatar, while stressing that its main concern was concrete and verifiable action against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
Following his meetings in Afghanistan, Kalin travelled to Islamabad and met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Asim Malik, according to reporting citing Turkish security sources. The discussions included Afghanistan and wider regional security issues.
The renewed diplomatic contacts indicate that Türkiye and Qatar remain involved in efforts to facilitate communication between Pakistan and the Taliban. However, the precise outcome of the latest meetings and whether they will produce a new agreement or concrete measures to reduce tensions remains to be seen.
Security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, cross-border militancy and mechanisms for addressing competing security concerns are likely to remain central issues in any future dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul.
