Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to immediate ceasefire after talks in Doha

Following a week of ferocious and deadly clashes along their disputed border, Qatar and Turkiye reached an agreement to an immediate ceasefire.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have ratified the ceasefire, according to Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs, and mechanisms have been set up to ensure lasting peace and stability between the two nations.

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According to Doha, the two nations agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner.”

In the worst kind of conflict between the two South Asian neighbors since the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 2021, both sides announced earlier that they were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday as they sought a solution.

Statement | Doha, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Reach a Mutual Ceasefire during a Round of Negotiations. twitter.com/fPXvn6GaU6

According to a spokesman for the Afghan government, Zabihullah Mujahid, “as promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha,” adding that Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, the country’s defense minister, had arrived in the capital.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the country’s defense minister, had discussions with Afghan Taliban leaders, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Office stated that the talks will concentrate on taking immediate steps to stop Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and restore stability along the Afghan-Pak border.

After Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in rebels who had increased cross-border attacks in Pakistan, Islamabad claimed that the fighters were operating from safe havens in Afghanistan, the one-time allies and Pakistani air strikes along their disputed 2, 600km (1, 600-mile) frontier, which were sparked by Islamabad’s demand that Kabul halt the fighters.

The Taliban accuses the Pakistani military of spreading false information about Afghanistan and sheltering ISIL (ISIS)-linked fighters, who have harmed the country’s stability and sovereignty, and denies providing shelter to armed groups fighting against Pakistan.

Kabul’s accusations have been refuted by Islamabad. In an effort to overthrow the government and replace it with a strict brand of Islamic governance, Pakistan has accused Kabul of allowing armed groups to live inside Afghanistan and waged years of war against it.

Security personnel reported that seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 were hurt in a suicide attack on Friday near the border.