Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following a week of the most intense border fighting since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021, according to “The Express Tribune. The accord was reached in Doha, Qatar, after marathon talks mediated by Qatari and Turkish officials, both sides confirmed Sunday.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who led Islamabad’s delegation, said the truce had been “finalized,” adding that the two governments would meet again in Istanbul on October 25 to work out the details. Afghanistan’s delegation was headed by Acting Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar.
The clashes had erupted along the 2,600-kilometer frontier after Pakistan accused militant factions, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Gul Bahadur group, of launching cross-border attacks from Afghan soil. Islamabad’s forces responded with airstrikes that destroyed several Taliban outposts, killing dozens of fighters, according to Pakistani security officials.
“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who are using Afghan soil to carry out heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” said Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, addressing cadets on Saturday.
The Taliban, however, rejected Islamabad’s claims, accusing the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation and sheltering Islamic State-linked militants to destabilize Afghanistan.
A Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the Doha ceasefire, saying both countries agreed to “avoid hostile actions” and deny support to groups acting against either government.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said the follow-up meetings in Istanbul would aim to “ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation.”
The truce offers a brief pause after a week of deadly violence that left dozens dead and hundreds injured on both sides of the border.
