Istanbul (TDI): Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to uphold a ceasefire following weeks of heightened tensions and a brief outbreak of clashes along their shared frontier earlier this month.
The understanding came after a second round of talks between delegations from both countries, held in Istanbul under the mediation of Türkiye and Qatar. The dialogue, which had nearly collapsed mid-week, was salvaged after both mediating nations intervened to keep discussions on track.
A joint statement released early Friday by Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the ceasefire’s continuation, adding that the “modalities for its implementation” would be further discussed during a principal-level meeting scheduled for November 6 in Istanbul.
The statement also revealed that both sides had agreed to create a monitoring and verification mechanism aimed at preserving calm and establishing penalties for any breach of the truce. “All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose penalties on the violating party,” the communiqué read.
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Türkiye and Qatar, acting as facilitators, praised the “active participation” of both delegations and reaffirmed their continued commitment to assisting Pakistan and Afghanistan in achieving “sustainable peace and stability.”
Commenting on the development, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described the outcome as a “ray of light,” acknowledging cautious optimism within Islamabad.
“Different drafts are being exchanged for a possible agreement. There is some guarded optimism that a shape may soon emerge,” Asif told Geo News, adding that both mediators, particularly Türkiye, are held in high regard by Pakistan.
At the heart of the negotiations was Pakistan’s long-standing demand that Kabul take “clear, verifiable, and irreversible action” against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant networks allegedly operating from Afghan territory.
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Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, speaking earlier in Peshawar, reiterated that while Pakistan sought peaceful relations with all neighbours, it would not tolerate cross-border terrorism.
The Afghan Taliban delegation, however, maintained that it lacks full control over TTP elements, arguing that the group’s fighters are “Pakistani nationals operating inside Pakistan.” A senior Taliban representative claimed that Kabul had offered to arrest or expel any TTP members found on Afghan soil but could not go beyond that, according to Dawn.com.
Pakistani negotiators also urged the Taliban to formally label the TTP as a terrorist organization and publicly denounce it as “fitna”, an Islamic term denoting sedition or mischief.
