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Riyadh may host new round of Kabul–Islamabad talks
Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing to host another round of negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, following a series of informal meetings in Istanbul and Riyadh that failed to produce significant progress. The discussions are aimed at easing tensions along the disputed Durand Line.
Sources have told Pakistani media that an Islamic Emirate delegation recently traveled to Saudi Arabia for talks with Pakistani officials, but the negotiations ended without any breakthrough.
The delegation reportedly included Rahmatullah Najib, the deputy interior minister; Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the foreign ministry spokesperson; and Anas Haqqani, a senior IEA figure. Saudi Arabia had earlier signaled its willingness to mediate between the two sides.
The IEA has not yet commented publicly on the latest Saudi talks.
The Riyadh discussions followed two earlier rounds in Istanbul, which also failed to produce results. Qatar and Türkiye, acting as mediators, previously hosted three rounds of Taliban–Pakistan negotiations in Doha and Istanbul, with the first Doha session resulting in an immediate ceasefire.
IEA spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had acknowledged that the Istanbul talks collapsed, stating on X that the negotiations “had no result,” and accusing certain elements within Pakistan’s intelligence services and military of obstructing the process and seeking to heighten tensions.
The potential Saudi-mediated talks come amid growing international concern over escalating border tensions.
The UN Security Council is expected to review the situation during its quarterly briefing on Afghanistan this month, with senior officials from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) providing updates on security, humanitarian needs, and political developments.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says its forces have seized significant quantities of weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, vehicles and other contraband during operations near the disputed Durand Line over the past three months.
According to the ministry, the seizures included 66 Kalashnikov rifles, 20 M16 rifles, 17 M4 rifles, 33 pistols, and 8,000 rounds of various types of light and heavy ammunition.
The forces also confiscated 45 vehicles, 2,600 kilograms of narcotics, 486 cartons of medicines, 2,373 sheep and 34 bundles of fuse cord, the ministry said.
The ministry added that 39 alleged smugglers were arrested in connection with the operations.
Ali Zeynivand, spokesperson for Iran’s Interior Ministry, has said that the process of repatriating undocumented Afghan migrants continues despite recent developments and crises in the region.
He stressed that the process does not target all Afghan nationals, but is aimed at managing the presence of foreign nationals in Iran and determining their legal residency status.
Zeynivand said some undocumented foreign nationals have been expelled from Iran based on judicial orders, while efforts to register and return others without legal documents are continuing.
According to Zeynivand, more than 200,000 undocumented Afghan migrants have voluntarily left Iran over the past five months.
He added that the main objective of the plan is to establish accurate records of foreign nationals, including how and through which border crossing they entered Iran, where they live and which public services they use.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Afghanistan and Pakistan cooperated with Tehran during the recent conflict to prevent individuals from using their territories to enter Iran and create unrest.
Speaking in a press conference on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Pakistan was cooperating with Iran “fully” while Afghanistan had also provided significant cooperation. He added that Turkmenistan, Russia and Iraq had helped Iran, while dialogue with Azerbaijan continued despite political differences.
Pezeshkian said regional cooperation had played an important role in helping Iran cope with the impact of the war and restrictions on the country.
The Iranian president also accused Iran’s adversaries of attempting to create insecurity along the country’s northwestern and southeastern borders, including plans to attack border posts and send armed individuals into Iran.
He said the plans were unsuccessful, partly because Iran responded to some of the efforts and because neighboring countries took measures to prevent individuals from using their territory to enter Iran.
Pezeshkian specifically highlighted the role of Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying both governments had deployed groups to monitor the situation along their territories.
According to the Iranian president, both countries had also made clear that no one would be permitted to use their soil to enter Iran and cause unrest inside the country.
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