Pakistan, Afghanistan strike ceasefire deal after bloodiest border clashes in years

In a fragile but significant breakthrough, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after a week of intense border fighting that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded — the worst confrontation between the neighbors since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Qatar’s foreign ministry announced early October 19 that the truce was reached during marathon peace talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Turkey. The two sides pledged to hold follow-up meetings to ensure the ceasefire’s “sustainability and reliable implementation,” a statement said.

Senior defence officials led both delegations — Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob and Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif — in what diplomats described as the most direct dialogue since relations began to unravel over rising cross-border violence.

Militancy and mistrust fuel tensions

The latest clashes were sparked by Islamabad’s demand that the Taliban government rein in militants allegedly operating from Afghan soil, accused of staging deadly raids inside Pakistan in recent months.

Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said Saturday that the “Afghan regime must rein in proxies” responsible for such attacks, calling them a “direct threat to regional stability.”

Kabul, however, rejected Islamabad’s allegations, accusing Pakistan of spreading disinformation and backing Islamic State-linked militants to destabilise Afghanistan — a charge Pakistan has firmly denied.

The escalating blame game reached a flashpoint after a suicide bombing near the border on Friday killed seven Pakistani soldiers and injured 13 others.

Airstrikes, accusations, and a cricket boycott

Although the ceasefire was extended on Friday to allow talks to continue, Afghan officials accused Pakistan of violating the truce with airstrikes inside Afghan territory, reportedly killing civilians in Paktika province.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesperson, condemned the strikes and warned that Afghanistan “reserved the right to respond,” though Kabul’s forces were ordered to stand down in deference to the peace talks.

In protest, Afghanistan withdrew from an upcoming T20 tri-series in Pakistan, after the deaths of three Afghan cricketers allegedly caused by the same airstrikes.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, however, insisted that the operations targeted “verified militant camps” along the frontier and not civilians. He claimed over 100 militants had been killed in recent counterterrorism actions, many linked to the group behind recent bombing.

Fragile peace amid deep suspicion

While the ceasefire offers a temporary respite, diplomats caution that mistrust runs deep between Islamabad and Kabul. The porous border, rising militant activity, and competing security narratives have repeatedly derailed previous peace efforts.

Whether this latest truce can hold — or merely delay another round of confrontation — may hinge on how swiftly both nations can translate their promises in Doha into action on the ground.