Afghanistan, Pakistan Have Agreed To An Immediate Ceasefire, Says Qatar

2025-10-19 06:08:22

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
Both the governments had sent their defence ministers to lead the talks. Image: X@MofaQatar_EN

Islamabad- Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. This follows more than a week of fighting that has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds.

The two sides agreed to establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability, as well as holding follow-up talks in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire's sustainability, the Qatari statement said.

Delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan were in Doha for talks to resolve the deadliest crisis between them in several years, after more than a week of fighting killed dozens of people and injured hundreds on both sides.

The talks were mediated by Qatar and Turkey.

Both the governments had sent their defence ministers to lead the talks, which, Pakistan said, would focus on“immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the border.”

Each country had said it was responding to aggression from the other. Afghanistan denies harbouring militants who carry out attacks in border areas.

Regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have called for calm, as the violence threatened to further destabilise a region where groups including the Islamic State group and al-Qaida are trying to resurface.

A 48-hour ceasefire intended to pause hostilities expired on Friday evening. Hours later, Pakistan struck across the border.

Pakistani security officials confirmed to The Associated Press that there were strikes on two districts in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province.

The targets were hideouts of the militant Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media. One said the operation was a direct response to the suicide bombing of a security forces compound in Mir Ali, in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province a day earlier.

The Pakistani Air Force raids killed dozens of armed fighters and there were no civilian deaths, they said.

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