Doha: Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an 'immediate ceasefire' after lengthy talks in Qatar, following the worst border clashes in decades between the two neighbours.
According to Ghana News Agency, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced on X that a ceasefire agreement between the two nations had been finalized. He stated that the series of terrorism attacks originating from Afghanistan on Pakistani soil would be halted immediately. The minister emphasized that both countries would respect each other's territory and planned to meet again on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss further details.
Afghanistan's Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the development. He pledged that Kabul would not support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan expressed gratitude to Qatar and Turkey for their mediation efforts.
The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban has soured since the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, with violence escalating in Pakistan. The deterioration in relations was exacerbated by Pakistani airstrikes targeting Kabul on October 9, followed by further strikes on a market in Paktika. Afghan forces retaliated with attacks along the Durand Line, the contentious border between the two countries.
Before the ceasefire agreement, ground troops from both sides engaged in artillery and heavy arms clashes. Islamabad has accused Kabul of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban, a group distinct from their Afghan counterparts, who have been fighting for Islamic rule in Pakistan, an accusation Afghanistan denies.
