The two sides held talks in Qatar last week after the Pakistan-Afghan border conflict broke out. Government officials confirmed on 19 that the two sides had reached a ceasefire agreement. Informed officials said the talks lasted up to 13 hours and the two sides will continue to negotiate in Turkey this weekend to discuss how to implement the agreement.
The defense ministers shrugged hands and
Pakistan Defense Minister Khwaja Asif issued a statement via social media X in the early morning of the 19th, saying that Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a ceasefire agreement. The two sides agreed to hold another meeting in Istanbul, Turkey on October 25 to discuss specific mechanisms to implement the ceasefire agreement and strengthen security cooperation.
On October 13, at the border port of Pakistan-Afghanistan, Durham, trucks stopped due to conflict in border areas.
On the same day, Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid posted on social media X that Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a bilateral agreement after holding negotiations in Doha, the capital of Qatar, establishing a comprehensive and meaningful ceasefire. Under the agreement, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to peace, mutual respect and maintaining strong and constructive good-neighborly relations. The two countries also promised to resolve disputes through dialogue and refrain from hostile actions against each other.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Pakistan and Afghanistan had held talks in Doha under mediation between Qatar and Turkey and that the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries.
According to multiple media reports, the defense ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan participated in the Doha negotiations on the 18th. The two posted photos on social media of them shaking hands after signing the ceasefire agreement. Afghan Defense Minister Yakub revealed at a press conference held later that day that the negotiations lasted for 13 hours.
The picture shows Pakistani Defense Minister Khwaja Asif (second from right) and Afghan Defense Minister Yakub (second from left) shaking hands. (Image from the social media account of Pakistani Defense Minister Khwaja Asif)
A temporary ceasefire.
From the late night of 11th to the early morning of 12th, Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged fire in the border areas between the two countries. The Afghan side said that in response to Pakistan's air strikes on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and Paktika province on the night of the 9th, the Afghan army launched a retaliatory operation on the night of the 11th. Pakistan condemns "Afghanistan's provocative behavior in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area" and demands that Afghanistan ensure that its territory is not used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
The fighting lasted for several days and affected civilians.According to the United Nations Aid Mission for Afghanistan, the border conflict on the Afghan side killed hundreds of civilians and injured hundreds.This was the worst conflict between the two Bahá'í countries after the Taliban regained power in 2021.
The two sides issued a separate statement on the 15th that, at the request of each other, a 48-hour temporary ceasefire was enforced. The ceasefire expired at 21 a.m. on the 17th, Beijing time. After the expiry, the two sides did not officially announce an extension of the ceasefire.
However, after the Bahá'í cease-fire agreement expired, the two countries' border again exploded.Arab officials indicated that Pakistan's airstrikes on the border area on the 17th night killed several people.The Pakistani side said that a Pakistani military base near the Bahá'í border was attacked by armed Arabs earlier that day, killing Pakistani soldiers.
According to reports from Afghan security sources quoted by the Afghan Dawn News website on the 18th, Pakistan launched an air strike on Afghanistan's eastern border province of Paktika on the evening of the 17th, killing at least 17 civilians, including 3 cricketers. According to Pakistani news, Pakistan military sources said in the early morning of the 18th that the Pakistani military had earlier launched a "precision air strike" against terrorists in the Afghan border area, killing at least 70 militants. The source said that although Pakistan and Afghanistan had previously reached a ceasefire agreement, in the past 48 hours, armed men from a branch of the "Pakistan Taliban" have continued to launch attacks on Pakistan from Afghanistan or sneak into Pakistan to launch terrorist attacks.
The border line between Pakistan and Afghanistan was drawn by the British colonists at that time. It is also known as the "Duran Line" and has a total length of more than 2000 kilometers. Over the years, conflicts on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have occurred from time to time due to doubts about the legitimacy of the "Duran Line".
Source: Xinhua International Headline
Written by: 王宏彬 蒋超 张艺色 李昂