Pakistan and Afghanistan on Sunday agreed to an “immediate and permanent ceasefire,” in addition to implementing mechanisms aimed at addressing persistent security concerns between the neighboring nations.
In a statement, Qatar’s foreign ministry said the two “agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries” following negotiations between the two states’ leaderships.
The negotiations followed a week of border clashes, as Kabul claimed it was responding to cross-border action by Pakistan against terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Islamabad, meanwhile, maintains it is acting in self-defense and only acting against terrorists who continue to find shelter across the border, despite promises from the Afghan Taliban regime to prevent the use of their soil for terrorism against any other state.
During the talks, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, National Security Adviser and ISI Chief Lt. Gen. Asim Malik represented Pakistan, while Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and intelligence chief Maulvi Abdul Haq Wasiq led the delegation from Kabul.
Both Qatar and Turkiye served as mediators, with the latter’s foreign ministry welcoming the Pakistan-Afghanistan agreement, saying, “We welcome that Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire under the mediation of Turkiye and Qatar and decided to establish mechanisms to strengthen peace and stability between the two countries during the talks held in Doha.” It said Turkiye would continue to support all efforts toward achieving “lasting peace and stability between the two brotherly countries” and the wider region.
According to the statement, talks will continue in Istanbul on Oct. 25, with both sides to establish a monitoring mechanism to verify the implementation of the ceasefire and address Pakistan’s longstanding concerns about cross-border sanctuaries of the TTP and other militant groups.
In a posting on X, Defense Minister Asif said the agreement would lead to a cessation of terrorist incidents from Afghanistan on Pakistan’s “immediately,” with both countries respecting each other’s territory. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar similarly called the agreement a “first step in the right direction,” while stressing on the importance of follow-up actions.
“We look forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism, in the next meeting to be hosted by Turkiye, to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan,” he said.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that, under the agreement, “neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan.” Additionally, he said, both sides would refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians or critical infrastructure.
Pakistan maintains it has solely targeted military and intelligence-linked sites and avoided civilian targets. However, a strike in Kabul targeting the Taliban regime’s intelligence agency incited an oil tanker explosion that resulted in civilian casualties.
Following the announcement, however, Mujahid issued a clarification stating there was no joint declaration. “In these statements, the sentence—‘and support will not be given to the attacks of those groups that are against the Pakistani government’—is the consistent stance of the Islamic Emirate that the soil of Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used against any other country,” he said, adding neither side would undertake any hostile actions against the other.
Despite the bonhomie of the ceasefire, observers cite little optimism it will lead to lasting peace. They point to various similar pledges from the Taliban regime since it came into power in August 2021, noting there was no verifiable action. Supporting these assertions, the Taliban and the Qatari Foreign Ministry issued a revised statement, replacing references to “tensions on the border” with “tensions between the two brotherly countries.” The controversy stems from the Taliban’s ongoing refusal to accept the legitimacy of the Durand Line as the border between the neighboring countries, a persistent source of tension between the two states.