After week of deadly clashes, Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire in Doha talks

Both sides are expected to continue working-level discussions in Doha throughout the week, with diplomats stating that, although the tone of the talks is encouraging, the trust deficit remains deep.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, in the wee hours of Sunday, agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” following high-level negotiations in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced, after days of intense cross-border hostilities that left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides.

The first round of talks, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, concluded late Saturday evening after more than four hours of closed-door discussions described by diplomats as “constructive but cautious.” The delegations will reconvene in Doha on Sunday for a second session, with a follow-up round scheduled for October 25 in Istanbul, according to officials cited in a CNN-News18 report.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said both sides had agreed to establish mechanisms to consolidate peace and stability and to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to verify and sustain the truce.

According to diplomatic sources in Doha cited in the report, Pakistan’s delegation, led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, National Security Adviser, and ISI Director-General Lt Gen Asim Malik, pressed for a conditional ceasefire extension and the creation of safe zones for Pakistani military convoys along the volatile Khost–North Waziristan corridor.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban delegation, headed by Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob, reportedly demanded the handover of detained Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters currently in Pakistani custody and called for a complete halt to aerial strikes inside Afghan territory.

“We are duty-bound to defend our country. This is an uneven war as we lack aerial defence,” a Taliban representative told mediators during the meeting, it has been learnt from the report.

The truce comes after Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province late Friday killed at least 10 civilians, including two children and three local cricketers, according to Afghan officials.

The strikes reportedly followed an attack on Pakistani paramilitary troops earlier in the week. Kabul has accused Islamabad of violating a 48-hour ceasefire, which had briefly paused a week-long escalation along the Durand Line.

The Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned what he called the “repeated crimes of Pakistani forces and violations of Afghanistan’s sovereignty,” saying such actions were “provocations aimed at prolonging hostilities.”

Ahead of the Doha talks, Mujahid announced that Taliban forces had been ordered to hold fire “to maintain the dignity and integrity” of their negotiating team.

The latest clashes erupted on October 11, days after explosions in Kabul during an unprecedented visit by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India. Retaliating to Pakistani hostilities along the border, Taliban fighters reportedly launched retaliatory offensives in southern Afghanistan, prompting Islamabad to promise a “strong response.”

It should be noted that Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of providing safe havens to TTP militants. The Taliban government continues to deny this charge. Kabul, in turn, accuses Islamabad of violating Afghan airspace and launching unprovoked cross-border attacks.

According to data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict & Security Studies, militant attacks in Pakistan rose 11 percent year-on-year between January and September 2025, with 796 incidents claiming 891 lives.

Both sides are expected to continue working-level discussions in Doha throughout the week, with diplomats stating that, although the tone of the talks is encouraging, the trust deficit remains deep.

(With inputs from agencies)