Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire in Doha talks

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 neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

The ceasefire "has been finalised", Pakistan's Defence 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, led by Khawaja Asif, including other senior officials. On the Afghan side, the talks were headed by Acting Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, accompanied by other representatives.

Pakistani officials raised the issue of cross-border terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan, pointing in particular to groups such as the Gul Bahadur faction and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad maintains that these groups have been involved in multiple deadly incidents inside Pakistan in recent months.

Sources familiar with the talks said, Pakistan presented a ‘single-point agenda’ focused on the dismantling of terrorist networks. “Pakistan has made it clear that the Afghan government must eliminate terrorist organisations and their hideouts,” sources said.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the parties agreed on a complete and meaningful ceasefire.

Read: Pakistan presses Afghanistan to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries during Doha talks

Qatar's foreign ministry, which mediated Saturday's talks along with Turkey, said the follow-up meetings were meant "to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner".

Militant attacks and air strikes

Pakistan and Afghanistan are seeking a way forward after the clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds. The talks were led by Asif and his Afghan counterpart, Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, both sides said.

The ground fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

The Taliban denies giving haven to militants to attack Pakistan and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan and sheltering Islamic State-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the accusations.

Militants have been waging a war for years against the Pakistani state in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with their strict brand of Islamic governance.

On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, security officials said.

"The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan," the Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said on Saturday, addressing a graduation ceremony of cadets.

Read More: Over 200 Afghan troops killed

The Taliban spokesperson said that at the Doha talks, "It was decided that neither country will take hostile actions against the other, and support will not be provided to groups operating against the government of Pakistan."

Tensions escalated after unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban regime

Tensions along the Pak-Afghan border escalated last week when clashes erupted after Afghan Taliban regime opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) 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 assault originated across 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.

“The Pakistan Army responded immediately and decisively,” security sources said. “The counteroffensive effectively targeted and destroyed multiple Afghan posts on the border. Dozens of Afghan soldiers and Khwarij were killed in retaliatory fire”.