Pakistan-Afghanistan to start third round of Istanbul talks to end border tensions

Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to begin the third round of high-stakes negotiations in Istanbul today, seeking to end cross-border terrorism, uphold the fragile ceasefire agreed after deadly border clashes last month, and establish a permanent framework for security cooperation.

The Pakistan Army has firmly rejected reports suggesting that the United States is conducting drone operations in Afghanistan from Pakistani territory, calling such claims “baseless and misleading.”

Pakistan’s first Chinese-designed Hangor-class submarine is expected to enter active service by 2026, marking a significant milestone in the country’s $5 billion defense partnership with Beijing, according to Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf.

India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) earlier this year has pushed Pakistan into an acute water security crisis, according to the Ecological Threat Report 2025 published by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

Pakistan on Wednesday announced that four days of peace talks with Afghanistan in Istanbul ended without progress, saying the negotiations “failed to bring about a workable solution.” 

Pakistan has formally expressed interest in importing Bangladesh’s world-renowned jute known as the country’s “golden fibre,” during the ninth Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting held in Dhaka today (27 October). 

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday that his party is answerable only to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and will never act against their interests,

Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Oct. 12 they killed dozens of each other`s troops during a night of heavy border clashes between the two countries.

Heavy clashes erupted between Taliban and Pakistani forces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, further straining relations between the two uneasy neighbours. The exchange of fire has drawn urgent appeals for calm from Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia amid growing fears of a wider regional escalation.

Pakistan’s military has issued a stark warning that any future conflict with India could unleash “cataclysmic devastation,” as war rhetoric between the two nuclear-armed neighbors intensifies once again.

The decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan once again flared up at the United Nations General Assembly this week, even though Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend the 80th session. 

Pakistan is reeling from one of its deadliest monsoon seasons in years, with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirming on Monday that at least 1,006 people have died in floods and rain-related incidents since June 26. 

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan two long-time allies with deep military ties, have signed a sweeping mutual defense pact, cementing decades of cooperation at a time of growing uncertainty in the Gulf.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is in Doha today (Monday) to attend an emergency Arab-Islamic summit, called in response to Israel’s recent strikes on Qatar that have sent shockwaves across the Middle East. 

Amnesty International has just dropped a chilling report—and it paints a troubling picture of how far Pakistan’s surveillance state has expanded. 

China’s top diplomat Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in Islamabad on Wednesday for a three-day visit aimed at deepening political, security, and economic cooperation with Pakistan, according to an official announcement released Tuesday.