Islamabad- Peace talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban ended without any agreement to tackle the thorny issues of cross-border terrorism as the deadlock persisted, according to top officials.

The third round of talks began on Thursday and continued for two days, but it failed to get a written commitment from Kabul to take action against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants accused of launching an attack against Pakistan by using Afghan soil.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a private TV channel on Friday night that the negotiations were suspended, with“no programme for the fourth round of talks”.

“There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase,” he said, reported Geo TV.

The minister thanked Turkiye and Qatar for their“sincere efforts” to mediate tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

“They support our stance. Even the Afghan delegation agreed with us; however, they were not ready to sign a written agreement,” he said, adding that Pakistan would accept only a formal, written accord.

“They wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations,” he noted.

Asif said the mediators had done their best but eventually lost hope.

“If they had even a little optimism, they would have asked us to stay. Our return empty-handed shows that even they have given up on Kabul,” he said.

The minister reiterated that Pakistan's position remained firm and clear.

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