The Media Line: Kabul, Islamabad Agree To Verification Talks as Ceasefire Takes Hold 

Kabul, Islamabad Agree To Verification Talks as Ceasefire Takes Hold 

By The Media Line Staff 

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed Sunday in Doha to halt cross-border fighting after more than a week of deadly clashes along their 1,600-mile frontier, in a truce brokered by Qatar and Turkey that sets up verification meetings and pledges to reduce tensions. The ceasefire follows accusations by Kabul of Pakistani airstrikes and Islamabad’s claims that fighters operating from Afghan soil attempted attacks during earlier, short-lived truces. 

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry stated that the negotiations resulted in an immediate cessation of hostilities and a framework for follow-up sessions to monitor compliance. Afghanistan’s Taliban government sent a high-level team led by the defense minister; its spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the sides would “refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure,” and that Kabul would not “support groups carrying out attacks against the government of Pakistan.” He added that Afghanistan “reserves the right to respond to these violations,” but that forces were instructed to pause “new military operations at this time.” 

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said security forces struck “verified” camps of Islamist fighters and rejected allegations of civilian casualties, stating, “All speculations and assertions being made regarding targeting of civilians are false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan.” 

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported at least three dozen civilian deaths and hundreds wounded since the flare-up began on October 10. Afghanistan’s cricket board said eight people, including three players, were killed in a Pakistani strike in Paktika and canceled its participation in a T20I tournament with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, expressing its “deepest sorrow and grief” and saying the players were “targeted during a gathering.” 

Cross-border violence has surged periodically since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan, an early backer of the Taliban after 2001, now faces a resurgent Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which an independent conflict-monitoring group says carried out hundreds of attacks over the past year. Mediators hope the new terms and verification meetings can reduce the risk of renewed fighting and create space for broader security understandings.