Afghanistan and Pakistan officials sign a Qatar- and Turkey-brokered ceasefire agreement in Doha after cross-border clashes. Image: Al Mayadeen.
(The Post News)– Afghanistan and Pakistan committed to an immediate ceasefire on Sunday after more than a week of deadly border clashes that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.
The ceasefire was reached after Qatar- and Turkey-facilitated negotiations in Doha, the latest show of Doha’s growing diplomatic influence in global peace efforts. Qatar’s foreign ministry stated both nations were committed to stopping hostilities and creating mechanisms for delivering “durable peace and stability.”
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the news on the social media platform X was “the first step in the right direction.” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the two parties have agreed on a “complete and meaningful ceasefire” and that neither country would allow its soil to be used for attacking the other.
Seven-day battles erupted after Islamabad accused Kabul’s Taliban government of sheltering Pakistani Taliban militants who carry out cross-border attacks, a claim denied by Afghanistan. Kabul responded by accusing Pakistan of launching air attacks on its soil, one of which killed eight people, including three Afghan cricketers, in Paktika province.
Violence Along the Pakistan and Afghan Border
Guns ablaze along the 2,600-kilometer mountainous border marked the wildest fighting since the Taliban took control in 2021. At least 17 Afghan civilians were killed, and hundreds were injured in the exchange of air raids, mortar bombardment, and drone attacks, UN officials said.
Under the terms of the new ceasefire, both nations pledged not to attack each other’s troops, civilians, or critical infrastructure. Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the attacks targeted “verified militant camps” and discounted reports of civilian casualties.
The agreement follows decades of strained relations between the neighbors. Pakistan was once a key ally of the Taliban but now accuses it of failing to prevent cross-border terrorism, while the Taliban holds Pakistan responsible for sheltering Islamic State-linked militants.
Delegations of the two sides will meet again on October 25 in Istanbul to resume talks on the permanent implementation of the ceasefire. The Doha talks are cited by analysts as the most recent example of Qatar’s leading role as an impartial mediator following brokering peace talks between Israel and Hamas and tensions de-escalating earlier this year between Iran, Israel, and America.
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