After four days of deliberations, the peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul broke down this week. Reports during the breakdown indicated that the standoff was actually caused by Islamabad's covert agreement permitting US drone operations from its territory, not by Indian meddling, as Pakistan had claimed.
Pakistan was unable to reject the drone arrangement.
Afghan negotiators reportedly asked Pakistan to provide a formal pledge to cease violating Afghan airspace and to halt foreign drones from flying over Afghan territory, according to TOLO News. Kabul would promise to stop militant anti-Pakistan organisations like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from operating on the other side of the border in exchange.

However, once the Pakistani delegation allegedly acknowledged that a "foreign country" was carrying out drone operations from its territory—later verified by TOLO News to be the United States—the negotiations broke down.
According to the Afghan outlet, Pakistan "for the first time admitted during these negotiations that it has an agreement with the United States allowing drone strikes, and claimed it cannot break that agreement."
With visits to the White House by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, Pakistan and the United States have increased defence cooperation under US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened that "bad things will happen" if the Taliban do not restore the Bagram Airbase to the United States.

The phone conversation that altered Pakistan's stance
Negotiators told Afghan media that after receiving a phone call "probably from Pakistan's high command," the Pakistani side changed their mind after first indicating a willingness to adopt Kabul's proposals. The delegation then maintained that it could not commit to stopping the US drone operations since it had "no control" over them.
Pakistan's abrupt reversal reportedly "surprised" the mediators from Qatar and Turkey.
India is wrongly blamed by Islamabad.
Later, Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defence minister, charged India with undermining the negotiations, telling Geo News, "Delhi is controlling the people in Kabul who are pulling the strings and putting on the puppet show."
Afghan media pointed out that Asif failed to clarify how his delegation's position changed right away following the phone call proving Pakistan's incapacity to halt US drones.

Pakistan "acknowledged signing an agreement with a 'foreign country' that permits drones to operate within its airspace for surveillance and potential strikes inside Afghanistan," according to an article by Afghan journalist Tameem Bahiss on X.
A strained border and a tenuous peace
The unsuccessful negotiations take place as a tenuous ceasefire along the Durand Line remains in place after more than 200 people were murdered on both sides in border skirmishes in September and October. According to the Taliban regime, civilians, including women and children, have been murdered by Pakistani air and drone strikes.
Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Afghanistan's defence minister, issued a warning to Islamabad that "any fresh violation of Afghan airspace" would be faced with a "reciprocal response."