Pakistan, Afghanistan to ‘meet again next week’ to finalise ceasefire agreement’s details

Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan and Afghanistan were set to hold another round of crucial talks next week in Istanbul, Turkiye, aimed at finalising the details of a ceasefire agreement.

The statement comes a day after Islamabad and Kabul reached an agreement on an immediate ceasefire following marathon negotiations in Doha, where both sides pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and continue dialogue later this month, Defence Minister Asif said on Sunday.

The 13-hour talks, hosted by Qatar with Turkiye acting as mediator, aimed to ease escalating tensions along the Pak-Afghan border.

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire after Doha talks

A high-level Pakistani delegation, led by Asif, travelled to Doha on Saturday to hold discussions with Afghan Taliban officials amid days of cross-border clashes and Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps inside Afghanistan.

In a post on X, the defence minister announced that “a ceasefire agreement has been finalised,” adding that terrorist attacks from Afghan soil on Pakistan “will cease immediately.”

In an interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic, the minister clarified that the primary objective of the agreement between both the neighbouring countries was the elimination of the menace of terrorism.

He said terrorism had been affecting at border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan for years, Radio Pakistan reported.

Asif said both countries had reached the conclusion that immediate elimination of terrorism was essential. “The two countries will make serious efforts to curb terrorism, otherwise, regional peace could face serious threats,” he maintained.

KP CM warns of strong response to any Afghan aggression

He said Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob acknowledged that terrorism was the main reason behind the tensions in their relations, which would now be addressed.

He hoped that peace would now return, and relations would normalise between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“As a result, Pakistan-Afghanistan trade and transit will also resume, and Afghanistan will be able to use Pakistani ports,” he said.