Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, after a week of fierce border clashes.

The clashes were the worst violence between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, in a post on X on Sunday, October 19, 2025, said the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan “has been finalised”.

The minister added that both sides would meet again on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss “detailed matters”.

Qatar’s foreign ministry, which mediated Saturday’s talks along with Turkey, said the follow-up meetings were meant “to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner”.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are seeking a way forward after the clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds. The talks were led by Asif and his Afghan counterpart, Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, both sides said.

India, Pakistan agree immediate ceasefire

The ground fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

The Taliban denies giving haven to militants to attack Pakistan and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan and sheltering Islamic State-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the accusations.

Militants have been waging a war for years against the Pakistani state in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with their strict brand of Islamic governance.

On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, security officials told Reuters.

The Star