Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to ‘immediate ceasefire’ after deadly airstrikes, says Qatar

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an "immediate ceasefire," announced Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Sunday (Oct 19). This comes after days of deadly cross-border clashes that left dozens dead and threatened to unravel already fragile ties between the neighbours. The breakthrough came after emergency talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, aimed at halting the spiral of violence along the border. Qatar’s foreign ministry, in a statement, announced early Sunday that "During the negotiations, the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries."

The statement added that follow-up meetings would be held in the coming days to ensure the truce holds and to verify its implementation.

Pakistan confirms ceasefire

Islamabad’s delegation was led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief General Asim Malik. The Afghan side was represented by Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the Taliban’s late founder Mullah Omar. Following the Doha meeting, Pakistan minister Asif confirmed that a ceasefire agreement had been reached and that the two nations would meet again in Istanbul on October 25.

"Terrorism on Pakistani soil conducted from Afghanistan will immediately stop," Asif said in a social media post, adding that "neighbouring countries will respect each other's sovereignty".

Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes

The Doha meeting followed a wave of Pakistani airstrikes late Friday that Kabul said killed at least ten civilians, including two children, in Afghanistan’s Paktika province. Local officials told AFP that three cricket players were among the dead. Pakistan’s military sources, however, said the strikes were aimed at a militant faction linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that had launched a recent attack on paramilitary troops inside Pakistan.

The violence erupted on October 11, just days after bomb blasts shook Kabul during an unprecedented visit to India by Taliban foreign minister Amir Muttaqi — a visit that Pakistan viewed with suspicion. The Taliban responded to Pakistan’s strikes by mobilising forces along the southern border, with both sides trading accusations of ceasefire violations. Kabul has long denied Islamabad’s claims that it harbours the Pakistani Taliban, while Pakistan insists the TTP uses Afghan territory as a base for attacks.