Pakistan, Afghanistan extend ceasefire till conclusion of Doha talks: sources

Islamabad (Web Desk): Pakistan and Afghanistan have decided to prolong their ongoing 48-hour ceasefire until the Doha negotiations conclude, an international media outlet reported on Friday, quoting diplomatic sources.

As per the sources, Pakistan’s delegation has already reached Doha, while Afghan representatives are scheduled to arrive in the Qatari capital on Saturday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity since they were not authorised to speak publicly, said the decision was made to provide room for dialogue aimed at easing recent hostilities.

The temporary truce, initiated on Wednesday at Kabul’s request, brought a pause to several days of heavy cross-border fighting that left dozens dead and hundreds more injured.

The announcement followed remarks by Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, who confirmed that both Islamabad and Kabul were engaged in “constructive and meaningful talks” to settle border tensions through peaceful means.

During his weekly press briefing, Khan emphasised that the two sides were making “genuine efforts to arrive at a positive outcome to this complicated yet resolvable matter.”

Ties between the neighbouring countries have grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, primarily due to the Taliban administration’s failure to take action against militant networks using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

On October 12, Afghan Taliban forces and the India-backed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Fitna al-Khawarij, launched an unprovoked assault on Pakistani positions.

The Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated forcefully, eliminating more than 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants. The military’s media wing reported that 23 Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom in the clashes.

In response to the aggression, Pakistani security forces also carried out precision strikes within Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and in Kabul, destroying multiple militant hideouts.

Following the ceasefire announcement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed Pakistan’s readiness to pursue dialogue with the Taliban regime on fair and reasonable terms. He stressed that the responsibility for ensuring a lasting peace now lies with the Taliban authorities.