Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree To Immediate Ceasefire After Deadly Border Clashes
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following a week of intense border clashes, officials from both countries confirmed on Sunday after peace talks in Doha.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, announced on X that the truce “has been finalised,” adding that both sides would meet again on October 25 in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss “detailed matters.”
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid described the agreement as a “complete and meaningful ceasefire.” The negotiations were mediated by Qatar and Turkey, whose foreign ministries said follow-up meetings would ensure the ceasefire’s sustainability and verify its implementation.
The talks follow one of the deadliest periods of violence between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Dozens were reportedly killed and hundreds injured during clashes, which included Pakistani airstrikes along the 2,600-kilometre border.
Islamabad said the strikes were in response to increased attacks by militants based in Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harbouring those responsible. The Taliban rejected these claims, accusing Pakistan of spreading “false information” and sheltering Islamic State-linked fighters seeking to destabilise Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, warned on Saturday that the “Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan.”
According to Mujahid, both sides agreed in Doha not to engage in “hostile actions” or support groups working against the other. The ceasefire, initially extended on Friday as talks continued, is intended to hold indefinitely while dialogue proceeds.
However, Kabul accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes hours after the truce extension, claiming civilian casualties. Mujahid said Afghan forces were instructed not to retaliate to allow diplomacy to continue, but warned that Afghanistan “reserves the right to respond” to any future violations.
Amid rising tensions, Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 cricket tri-series scheduled in Pakistan next month, following the reported deaths of three local cricketers in airstrikes in Paktika province.
Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, defended the military actions, saying the strikes targeted “verified militant camps” and not civilians. He claimed more than 100 militants were killed, most linked to a recent suicide bombing near the border that left seven Pakistani soldiers dead and 13 others wounded.
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