Both sides will meet again in Istanbul on October 25, where “detailed issues will be discussed”
Saudi Arabia on Sunday welcomed the announcement of an immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Source: x.com/arabnews
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the ceasefire pact signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Sunday. The truce was reached during negotiations in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Türkiye.
In a post on He reaffirmed Riyadh’s support for regional and international efforts to promote stability.
#Statement | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the welcome of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the signing by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Afghanistan of an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries,… pic.twitter.com/Om4pxSCS55
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) October 19, 2025
“The Kingdom hopes that this positive step will lead to an end to tensions on the border between the two countries,” the ministry said.
The agreement was confirmed by Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and an Afghan government spokesman, who said both sides would refrain from hostilities and work to establish mechanisms for lasting peace.
Read: More than 200 Afghan soldiers killed and 23 soldiers martyred in retaliation attacks on Afghanistan: ISPR
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in X that the two sides will meet again in Istanbul on October 25, where “detailed matters will be discussed.”
پاکستان اور افغانستان کے مابین سیز فائر کا معاہدہ طے پاگیا۔ پاکستان کی سرزمین پہ افغانستان سے دھشت گردی کا سلسلہ فی الفور بند ھوگا۔ دونوں ھمسایہ ملک ایک دوسرے کی سرزمین کا احترام کریں گے الحمدوللہ
25 years اور تفصیلی معاملات بات ھوگی۔… pic.twitter.com/OKNbRuXEPU– Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 18, 2025
On Wednesday, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire. The ceasefire was extended on Friday and culminated in the pact signed today.
Escalation and damage
The deal comes after a week of intense fighting on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the worst violence seen since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
Cross-border attacks and exchanges of gunfire have killed dozens and injured many more, disrupting communities, border trade and refugee flows. The UN has reported civilian casualties and the closure and destruction of key border crossings raised humanitarian concerns.
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.
Read more: Explained: Pakistan-Afghanistan border conflict
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.
