ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday welcomed a ceasefire agreement signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying it ends days of hostility sparked by recent border clashes.
Ishaq Dar said the truce, finalised late Saturday in Doha, was “the first step in the right direction.” He posted on X that Pakistan looks forward to a “concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism” to be discussed at the next meeting in Turkiye. He thanked Qatar and Turkiye for their constructive roles.
The diplomatic breakthrough follows heavy cross-border exchanges triggered by an unprovoked attack by Afghan Taliban and TTP-affiliated fighters on the night of Oct 11-12. Islamabad responded with airstrikes and ground operations, which, officials say, eliminated more than 200 insurgents.
A temporary truce, agreed at Kabul’s request, paused days of fierce fighting that killed dozens and wounded hundreds. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif led Pakistan’s delegation in Doha; Afghanistan was represented by Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob. Senior security officials and Afghanistan’s intelligence chief also attended.
Asif said the ceasefire requires that “terrorism from Afghanistan on Pakistani soil will stop immediately.” He announced the next round of talks in Istanbul on Oct 25 and said both sides agreed to respect each other’s territorial sovereignty.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Taliban government to prevent Afghan soil from being used by militant groups for attacks inside Pakistan. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Islamabad says cross-border militant incidents have risen, particularly in KP and Balochistan. The two neighbours share a porous frontier of roughly 2,500 km.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan conducted “precision strikes” on verified camps of the proscribed Gul Bahadur group in North and South Waziristan. He claimed that 60–70 militants and their leadership were killed in strikes based on confirmed intelligence. Tarar added that attempts by TTP/“Fitna al-Khawarij” militants to carry out attacks were foiled and that more than 100 such fighters were eliminated.
At the PMA passing-out parade in Kakul on Friday, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir urged Afghan leaders to choose “mutual peace and security over violence,” warning that proxies operating from Afghan soil would be dealt with decisively.
Turkiye’s embassy in Pakistan welcomed the truce and pledged continued support for efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability between the two countries and across the region.
