Pakistan, Afghanistan extend ceasefire

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Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday mutually agreed to extend a 48-hour ceasefire until the end of planned talks in Doha.

A Pakistani delegation had already arrived in Doha while an Afghan delegation was expected to arrive in the Qatari capital on Saturday, said the sources, who did not want to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A temporary truce between the neighbors – agreed to by Pakistan at Afghanistan’s request – on Wednesday halted days of intense fighting that left dozens and hundreds injured.

This development Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in constructive dialogue aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border tension.

Addressing the weekly press briefing, Khan noted that during the 48-hour ceasefire, both sides were “making sincere efforts to find a positive resolution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue”.

Against the background of increasing terrorist attacks in Pakistan, tensions are being witnessed in Islamabad and Kabul amid the reluctance of the Afghan Taliban government to act against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil.

Taliban forces and India-backed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), aka Fitna al-Kharj, resorted to an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on 12 October.

Pakistan’s armed forces gave a befitting response to the aggression, killing more than 200 Afghan Taliban and allied militants in self-defense. The army’s media wing said 23 soldiers accepted martyrdom in clashes with Taliban forces and terrorists.

Additionally, security forces also carried out “sanctuary strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital, Kabul, successfully destroying several strongholds in response to the recent offensive.

After the ceasefire, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan was ready to negotiate with the Taliban government in Afghanistan on suitable terms. He said that now the ball is in the court of the Taliban government for a permanent ceasefire.

‘Time to End Enforced Hospitality’

Also, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif excoriated the Afghan government for not responding positively despite “five years of Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices”, saying that Afghanistan has become “a proxy of India”.

In a post on X, the defense czar noted that India, Afghanistan and Fitna al-Kharj, Tehreek-Talban Pakistan (TTP) were jointly imposing terrorism on Pakistan. He lamented that those who had earlier taken refuge in Pakistan were now involved in conspiracies against him.

He said, “Pakistan could no longer afford relations with Kabul as in the past.

He called for an end to what he described as “decades of hospitality”, saying Pakistan’s land and resources belong to its 250 million citizens.

Talking about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, he listed official engagements and initiatives, including four visits to Kabul by the foreign minister. Two visits by Defense Minister and ISI. five visits by the Special Representative; Five visits by the Secretary of State. A visit from the National Security Adviser. Eight Joint Coordination Committee meetings; 225 border flag meetings ; 836 protest note ; and 13 December.

At the end of his tenure, the defense minister noted that any source of terrorism would be made to pay a heavy price, reiterating Pakistan’s call for peaceful neighborly relations.