Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha, both sides said on Sunday, after a week of fierce border clashes, the worst violence between the South Asian neighbors since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
The ceasefire “has been finalized,” Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif posted on X on Sunday, saying both sides would meet again on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss “detailed matters.”
Pakistani delegation, headed by Khawaja Asif, including other senior officials. On the Afghan side, the talks were led by the acting Minister of Defense, Mullah Yaqoob, accompanied by other representatives.
Pakistani officials raised the issue of cross-border terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan, singling out groups such as the Gul Bahadur faction and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in particular. Islamabad maintains that these groups have been involved in multiple deadly incidents inside Pakistan in recent months.
Sources familiar with the talks said Pakistan put forward a “single-point agenda” focused on dismantling terror networks. “Pakistan has made it clear that the Afghan government must eliminate terrorist organizations and their hideouts,” the sources said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the parties agreed to a comprehensive and meaningful ceasefire.
Read: Pakistan pressures Afghanistan to remove terror sanctuaries during Doha talks
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, which mediated Saturday’s talks alongside Turkey, said follow-up meetings aimed to “ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner.”
Militant attacks and airstrikes
Pakistan and Afghanistan are looking for a way forward after clashes killed dozens and injured hundreds. The talks were led by Asif and his Afghan counterpart Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, both sides said.
Ground fighting between the former allies and Pakistani airstrikes along their disputed 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) border broke out after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they were operating from safe havens in Afghanistan.
The Taliban deny harboring militants to attack Pakistan and accuse the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan and harboring militants linked to the Islamic State to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the allegations.
Militants have been waging war for years against the Pakistani state in an attempt to overthrow the government and replace it with their strict brand of Islamic rule.
On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, security officials said.
“The Afghan regime must stop proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to carry out heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said at a cadet graduation ceremony on Saturday.
Read more: More than 200 Afghan soldiers killed
The Taliban spokesman said that at the Doha talks “it was decided that neither country will take hostile action against the other and no support will be provided to groups operating against the government of Pakistan.”
Tensions rose after unprovoked shooting by the Afghan Taliban regime
Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border escalated last week when clashes broke out after the Afghan Taliban regime opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, prompting a swift and forceful response from the Pakistan Army, which destroyed several Afghan posts and killed dozens of Afghan soldiers and militants.
The coordinated attack originated from several key sectors including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Baramcha in Balochistan. The firing, security sources said, was aimed at facilitating the illegal entry of Khwarij – the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – into Pakistani territory.
“Pakistan army responded immediately and decisively,” security sources said. “The counteroffensive effectively attacked and destroyed multiple Afghan posts on the border. Dozens of Afghan and Khwarij soldiers were killed in retaliatory fire.”
