Islamabad/Kabul: Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif confirmed the truce on Sunday, saying the agreement was reached during talks in Doha. “The ceasefire has been finalised,” he posted on X, adding that both sides will meet again on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss “detailed matters.”
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the two countries had agreed on a complete and meaningful ceasefire. Qatar’s foreign ministry, which mediated the discussions alongside Turkey, stated that the follow-up meetings would focus on ensuring the durability of the ceasefire and establishing mechanisms to verify its implementation.
The agreement comes after days of deadly fighting along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier that killed dozens and injured hundreds. The clashes included ground skirmishes and Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory.
The violence began after Islamabad accused Kabul of harbouring militants responsible for a recent surge in attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban rejected the accusation, saying Pakistan was spreading misinformation and, in turn, providing shelter to Islamic State-linked fighters seeking to destabilise Afghanistan. Islamabad dismissed these claims.
Militant attacks have long plagued Pakistan, where insurgents seek to overthrow the government and impose their version of Islamic rule. On Friday, a suicide bombing near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others, according to security officials.
“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said during a military graduation ceremony on Saturday.
At the Doha talks, Mujahid said both sides agreed “neither country will take hostile actions against the other, and support will not be provided to groups operating against the government of Pakistan.”
Press Release
Negotiations between representatives of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, held in Qatar, have concluded with the signing of a bilateral agreement.
1/5— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) October 19, 2025
Despite the ceasefire, Mujahid accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes inside Afghanistan shortly after the agreement was extended on Friday. He claimed the strikes targeted civilians and said Kabul reserved the right to respond, but had ordered its fighters not to retaliate to preserve the peace efforts.
In protest, Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 international cricket tri-series scheduled in Pakistan next month, citing the deaths of three Afghan cricketers in military strikes in Paktika province.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistani forces had targeted verified militant camps along the border, not civilian areas. He added that militants had attempted multiple attacks inside Pakistan during the ceasefire period and that more than 100 insurgents were killed in operations, including members of the group behind Friday’s suicide bombing. The Doha talks are expected to resume next week in Istanbul.
