Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire in talks hosted by Doha.
Qatar’s foreign ministry announced the breakthrough early Sunday after its South Asian neighbors extended a ceasefire following a week of violent border clashes.
Afghanistan and Pakistan reached an agreement on a ceasefire on Saturday during negotiations mediated by Qatar and Türkiye.
They also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and to ensure reliable and sustainable verification of its implementation.
Both sides had previously said they were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday after dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured in the worst violence between the two countries since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
“As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will be held in Doha today,” Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding that the Kabul team led by Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqub had arrived in Doha.
Pakistan’s foreign office had earlier said Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif would lead talks with representatives of the Afghan Taliban.
The statement said, “The talks will focus on urgent measures to be taken to end cross-border terrorism originating from Afghanistan against Pakistan and to restore peace and stability on the Pakistan-Afghan border.”
The ground clashes between the erstwhile allies and air strikes along Pakistan’s disputed 2,600km border were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who are stepping up attacks on Pakistan, saying they are operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
The Taliban denies providing sanctuary for militants to attack Pakistan and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan and harboring Islamic State-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the accusations.
Militants have been waging war against the Pakistani state for years, aiming to overthrow the government and replace it with their own strict Islamic system of rule.
Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 others were injured in a suicide attack near the border on Friday, security officials said.
“The Afghan regime must rein in its proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to carry out heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” Pakistan Army Chief Marshal Asim Munir said in his speech at the students’ graduation ceremony on Saturday. he said.
Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan hours after a ceasefire that began on Wednesday was extended on Friday as long as negotiations continue, an Afghan government spokesman said.
He said the attacks targeted civilians, adding that Kabul reserved the right to respond but that Afghan fighters had been directed to refrain from retaliating to respect the negotiating team.
Afghanistan has withdrawn from next month’s Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan following the deaths of three local cricketers due to military strikes in the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Pktika province.
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