Saudi Arabia backs Pakistan-Afghanistan truce

Both sides will meet again in Istanbul on October 25, where 'detailed matters will be discussed'

The Foreign Ministry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the ceasefire pact signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Sunday. The truce was reached during negotiations held in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Turkey.

In a post on X, the Saudi foreign ministry described the truce as a “vital step” toward enduring peace between the “brotherly peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan”. It reaffirmed Riyadh’s support for regional and international efforts to promote stability.

#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's welcome of 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

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@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 Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and a spokesman for the Afghan government, who said both sides would refrain from hostilities and work to establish mechanisms for lasting peace.

Read: Over 200 Afghan troops killed, 23 soldiers martyred in retaliatory strikes against Afghanistan: ISPR

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on 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
25اکتوبر کو استنبول میں دوبارہ وفود میں ملاقات ھو گی۔ 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, culminating in the signed pact earlier today.

Escalation and damage

The agreement comes after a week of intense fighting on the Pak-Afghanistan border, the worst violence seen since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

Cross-border strikes and exchanges of fire 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 heightened humanitarian concerns.

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.

Read more: Explained: Pakistan-Afghanistan border conflict

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.