Tahir Khan
Islamabad: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, temporarily halting hostilities that have flared along their shared border in recent days, officials said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said the truce, which began at 6pm local time, was reached “with mutual consent” following a request from the Afghan Taliban regime.
“During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue,” the FO said.
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the development on X (formerly Twitter), saying that Afghan forces had been instructed to respect the ceasefire “unless any aggression takes place.”
Strikes in Kandahar and Kabul
Earlier on Wednesday, state broadcaster PTV News reported that Pakistan’s armed forces conducted precision strikes targeting Afghan Taliban positions in Kandahar province and the capital Kabul.
Citing security sources, PTV said the retaliatory operation destroyed key Taliban hideouts, including Battalion Headquarters Nos. 4 and 8 and Border Brigade No. 5, in Kandahar.
“All these targets were meticulously selected, isolated from civilian populations, and successfully destroyed,” the report stated, adding that “dozens of foreign and Afghan operatives were killed.”
Another statement quoted by PTV said Pakistan had targeted the “centre and leadership of Fitna al-Hindustan” in Kabul — a term used by Pakistani authorities to refer to terrorist networks operating in Balochistan.
Security officials said the strikes were part of a measured response to cross-border attacks initiated by Afghan forces earlier in the week.
Renewed Hostilities
The clashes mark the third major confrontation along the border in a week, following similar exchanges in Kurram on Tuesday and multiple flashpoints from Saturday night into Sunday morning.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Afghan Taliban fighters launched “cowardly attacks” at four locations in Spin Boldak, Balochistan, early Wednesday morning. Pakistani forces repelled the assault, killing 15–20 attackers and destroying eight Afghan posts, including six tanks.
The ISPR earlier confirmed that 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred and 29 injured over the weekend, while more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were neutralised in Pakistan’s retaliatory actions.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, claimed its attacks were “retaliatory”, accusing Pakistan of carrying out air strikes inside its territory last week — an allegation Islamabad has not confirmed but countered by asserting its right to self-defence.
Rising Regional Concern
The recent escalation has prompted calls for restraint and dialogue from regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and Russia.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News earlier this week that relations between Islamabad and Kabul were in a “stalemate”, saying:
“You can say there are no active hostilities, but the environment is hostile. There are no ties, direct or indirect, as of today.”
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks, while Kabul insists that its territory is not being used against neighbouring countries.
Despite the ceasefire, analysts warn that tensions remain high and that hostilities could resume if diplomatic efforts fail to de-escalate the situation.
