In a dramatic turn of events after weeks of deadly border clashes, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, raising hopes for a fragile but much-needed peace in a region long plagued by mistrust and violence. The agreement, announced on Sunday, October 19, 2025, in Doha, came after intensive mediation efforts from Qatar and Turkey, and was welcomed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which expressed optimism that the deal could restore harmony and stability across South Asia.
According to a statement from the OIC, the ceasefire marks a significant step toward "restoring understanding and harmony, fostering mutual trust, advancing cooperative and good-neighborly ties, and consolidating peace and stability in the whole region." The OIC also lauded the mediation efforts of Qatar and Turkey, whose diplomatic push was instrumental in bringing both sides to the table after more than a week of violence along their disputed 1,600-mile border.
The clashes, which erupted on October 10, 2025, quickly escalated into the worst fighting between the two neighbors since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Reports from CNN and Reuters detailed how ground fighting and Pakistani airstrikes—triggered by Islamabad’s demands that Kabul rein in militants operating from Afghan soil—left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, including civilians and security personnel on both sides.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who led the talks with his Afghan counterpart Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, underscored the fragility of the ceasefire in an interview with Reuters. He stated, "Anything coming from Afghanistan will be (a) violation of this agreement. Everything hinges on this one clause." Asif made it clear that the ceasefire agreement rests on the Afghan Taliban’s ability to control militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which Islamabad claims has conducted about 600 attacks against Pakistani forces in the past year alone.
The written agreement signed by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Qatar explicitly prohibits incursions from either side. Asif explained, "We have a ceasefire agreement as long as there is no violation of the agreement which is already in force." He further accused the Pakistani Taliban of operating "in connivance with the ruling Taliban," a charge Kabul has repeatedly denied. Afghanistan, for its part, has accused Pakistan of spreading misinformation and sheltering Islamic State-linked militants to destabilize its government, a claim Islamabad rejects.
As part of the ceasefire, Kabul agreed not to support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan, and both sides pledged to refrain from targeting each other's security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on Sunday, "It was decided that neither country would take hostile actions against the other, and support will not be provided to groups operating against the government of Pakistan." In a follow-up post, he emphasized that Afghanistan’s territory would not be used against any other country, reflecting the Taliban’s longstanding position on cross-border militancy. However, Mujahid also noted that the statements regarding the agreement did not constitute a joint declaration.
The violence leading up to the ceasefire was intense and tragic. The Afghanistan Cricket Board reported that eight people, including three cricket players, were killed in a Pakistani attack in Paktika during a gathering after a friendly cricket match. In response, Afghanistan announced it would withdraw from the three-nation T20I cricket tournament next month involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported at least three dozen civilians killed and hundreds wounded in Afghanistan since the clashes began.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, defended the country’s military actions, saying its security forces had struck only "verified" camps of Islamist militants along the border and denied targeting Afghan civilians. "All speculations and assertions being made regarding targeting of civilians are false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan," Tarar posted on X (formerly Twitter). He also claimed that militants had attempted to attack Pakistan during the ceasefire period but were repelled, with more than 100 fighters killed—a figure CNN could not independently verify.
The roots of the conflict run deep. Pakistan was one of the main backers of the Taliban after its ouster by NATO troops in 2001 and during its subsequent insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, relations have deteriorated, especially as the TTP has re-emerged as one of Pakistan’s biggest national security threats. The border region remains volatile, with both sides accusing each other of harboring and supporting militants.
Amid the chaos, both countries agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday, October 15, after days of clashes that killed dozens. The truce was extended on Friday amid plans for mediation, but violence persisted until the Doha talks produced the current agreement. Ahead of the negotiations, the Taliban sent a high-level delegation led by Afghanistan’s defense minister to Doha and accused Pakistani forces of conducting airstrikes on civilian areas in the border province of Paktika. Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said at the time, "Afghanistan reserves the right to respond to these violations, but in order to maintain the dignity and integrity of its negotiating team, its forces have been instructed to refrain from undertaking new military operations at this time."
Pakistan, meanwhile, has made it clear that it will respond to any attacks on its territory. Asif told Reuters, "We were being attacked. Our territory was being attacked. So we just did tit for tat. We were paying them in the same coin. They are in Kabul. They are everywhere. Wherever they are we will attack them. Kabul is not, you know, a no-go area." Notably, Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Kabul, including one on October 9, targeting Pakistani Taliban leader Noor Wali Mehsud, though he later appeared in a video alive.
Looking ahead, the next round of talks is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on October 25, 2025, where both parties, along with mediators from Qatar and Turkey, will work to establish a mechanism to enforce and verify the ceasefire’s implementation. Qatar’s foreign ministry emphasized that these follow-up meetings are meant "to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner."
For now, the ceasefire stands as a tentative step toward peace, but its durability remains uncertain. With both sides wary and the threat of militant violence ever-present, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether the agreement can bring lasting stability to this troubled borderland.