What happened
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone on Tuesday evening, 3 March 2026. Erdogan told the premier that Turkiye would “contribute to the re-establishment of the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan” and stand by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency carried by Radio Pakistan and Dawn.
A post on X by the Turkish Presidency said the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and “regional and global issues.” The Presidency said President Erdogan “condemned the terror attacks carried out in Pakistan,” promised Turkiye would “continue to stand by Pakistan in its anti-terror fight,” and “contribute to the re-establishment of the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan, reached through Turkiye’s initiatives.” It added that Erdogan stressed re-engaging diplomatically on the conflicts that began with attacks on Iran would be “extremely beneficial.”
PM Shehbaz, in a parallel readout released by Radio Pakistan, said he had briefed Erdogan on his outreach to “the brotherly Gulf leadership” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to “play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation and dialogue.” Both leaders “underscored the importance of maximum restraint” and agreed to “remain in close and frequent contact” to bring peace and stability to the region.
The Afghanistan thread
The call came against the backdrop of Operation Ghazab lil Haq, the cross-border campaign Pakistan launched against terrorist sanctuaries inside Afghanistan on 26 February after a wave of unprovoked Afghan Taliban attacks along the 2,600-kilometre frontier. A senior Pakistani security official told journalists on Monday that Pakistan was “in no hurry” to wind down the operation until “Afghanistan’s Taliban Regime provides verifiable assurance of compliance to Pakistan’s demand of quitting facilitation of Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan,” according to Dawn.
Turkiye and Qatar stepped in to mediate after border clashes first erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan in October 2025; two earlier Doha rounds produced a fragile ceasefire and then an agreement to develop a verification mechanism. Erdogan’s offer is the first public indication that Ankara is willing to re-engage on that track while Operation Ghazab lil Haq is still running, and Dawn noted that relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are at their lowest point in the four years since the group came to power in Kabul.
Wider regional canvas and open questions
Both leaders also framed the call inside the Middle East crisis that opened on Saturday with US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf. The Turkish Presidency said Erdogan stressed re-engaging diplomatically on those conflicts would be “extremely beneficial.” Dawn reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the Senate the same day that Pakistan was “ready to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad,” and credited PM Shehbaz and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir with a “very active and positive role” in defusing tensions.
It was not clear on Tuesday night whether Ankara’s offer would translate into a new Doha-style trilateral mediation round, whether Kabul would accept Turkish involvement while cross-border operations continue, or whether Dar’s offer to host US-Iran talks in Islamabad would advance: the Turkish readout named no date or venue.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-03-04.
- Radio Pakistan — Pakistan, Turkiye agree to continue efforts for regional peace, stabilityPublished 3 March 2026 · Official readout of the Shehbaz-Erdogan phone call from the Prime Minister's Office, carried by Radio Pakistan; confirms Erdogan's offer to contribute to the re-establishment of the Pak-Afghan ceasefire and the parallel focus on Middle East de-escalation.
- Dawn — Turkiye will contribute to re-establishment of Pak-Afghan ceasefire, Erdogan tells PM ShehbazPublished 3 March 2026 · News Desk piece with the Turkish Presidency's X post and the historical context of Doha-mediated 2025 ceasefire rounds, plus the Operation Ghazab lil Haq and "no hurry" briefings; Reuters file photo credited.
