Pakistan and Afghanistan Agree to ‘Immediate Ceasefire’, Confirms Qatar After Fresh Cross-Border Strikes

Following a week of intense and bloody violence along the contentious border, Afghanistan and Pakistan have signed an immediate ceasefire after mediation talks by Qatar and Turkiye.

On early Sunday, Qatar-based Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Afghanistan and Pakistan had reached the ceasefire agreement and the introduction of the mechanisms to ensure the consolidation of the two countries in terms of the permanent peace and stability.

Doha indicated that the two nations also decided to have follow up meetings in the next few days to make the ceasefire sustainable and to ensure that its execution was in a trustworthy and sustainable way.

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One week ago, the two parties claimed to be conducting peace negotiations in Doha on Saturday as they tried to find a solution after confrontations that resulted in deaths of dozens and injuries of hundreds in the most violent dispute between the two neighbours in South Asia since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.

On their part, the negotiating team of the Afghan government will hold negotiations with the Pakistani side today in Doha, as promised, the spokesperson of the Afghan government Zabihullah Mujahid had added that the negotiating team of Kabul, headed by the Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob had reached the Qatari capital.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan announced previously that the defence minister in Pakistan Khawaja Muhammad Asif, was heading the dialogue with the Taliban leadership of Afghanistan.

“The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border,” the Foreign Office said.

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The war, between the former allies and a series of air attacks by the Pakistan forces across their disputed 2,600km (1,600-mile) border was prompted when Islamabad insisted that Kabul suppress insurgents who had intensified raids on Pakistan territory claiming that the rebels were sheltering in their safe havens in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has refuted the claim that they provide refuge to armed groups to attack Pakistan, and the Pakistani military is misinforming the world towards Afghanistan and protecting ISIL (ISIS)-linked fighters that have destabilized and jeopardized the stability and sovereignty of the state.

Islamabad has rejected the accusations of Kabul. Pakistan has claimed that Kabul had enabled armed groups to live within the Afghanistan territory and wage war over years against the Pakistani state in an attempt of overthrowing the government and replacing it with their own strict model of Islamic regimes of governance.

Security officials said a suicide attack in the border on Friday killed seven Pakistani soldiers and injured 13

“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” Field Marshal Asim Munir, the chief of the Pakistani Army said on Saturday at one of the cadet graduation ceremonies.

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