Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire after talks in Doha
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following a new round of peace negotiations in Doha mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday.
During the talks, the two sides pledged to halt hostilities along their shared border and set up mechanisms aimed at consolidating lasting peace and stability between the neighbouring countries. The agreement marks the most significant step toward de-escalation since cross-border clashes intensified earlier this year.
The Doha negotiations come after months of heightened tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with repeated border skirmishes and mutual accusations of harbouring armed groups.
Dozens were killed in cross-border attacks earlier this month as the bilateral relations between the South Asian neighbours reached their worst since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of reining in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from Afghanistan.
On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, Pakistani officials said.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed the deal. He said Pakistan "look forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism, in the next meeting to be hosted by Turkiye, to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan”.
“It is important to put all efforts in place to prevent any further loss of lives.”
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, "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."
According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, representatives from Islamabad and Kabul also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire’s sustainability and to verify its implementation “reliably and sustainably.”
“The State of Qatar expresses its hope that this important step will contribute to ending tensions on the border between the two brotherly countries and form a solid foundation for sustainable peace in the region,” the ministry said.
Neither government immediately released further details on the terms of the ceasefire or the timeline for implementing monitoring mechanisms.
Afghanistan withdrew from the cricket Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan next month after the death of three local cricketers, who the Afghanistan Cricket Board said were due to military strikes in Paktika province, Reuters reported.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X on Saturday that Pakistan had struck "verified" camps of Islamist militants along the border areas and rejected that the strikes had targeted civilians.
