Afghanistan | Pakistan

A strong earthquake killed at least 20 people in northern Afghanistan, authorities said on Monday, just months after another deadly tremor that left the country reeling. The 6.3-magnitude quake struck overnight at a depth of 28 kilometres with the epicentre near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). More than 20 people were killed and around 320 were injured in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, health ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told journalists on Monday morning, stressing that this was a preliminary toll. He did not provide a province-wide breakdown of the casualties. Expressing sorrow over the “tragic loss of lives in northern Afghanistan after the deadly earthquake near Mazar-e-Sharif”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X that Pakistan “stands in solidarity with our Afghan brothers and sisters in this difficult hour”. “Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured,” he said. Residents of Mazar-i...

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi on Friday said that the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul had acknowledged the presence of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist organisations in its territory. The talks were scheduled as Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to continue a ceasefire between the two countries and following a rapid deterioration of ties and a brief conflict along their shared border earlier this month. The agreement capped five days of a second round of tense negotiations — with the first one held in Doha on October 18 and 19 — in Istanbul mediated by Turkiye and Qatar. The round, which had begun on Saturday, had reached a point of near-collapse on Wednesday, with Islamabad saying that its long-standing concern over terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan remained a major point of contention. But a breakthrough in the stalemate came after Turkiye and Qatar salvaged the dialogue process for the second time in less than a week. Fielding questions after delivering ...

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrani said on Friday that Pakistan does not seek further tension with Afghanistan and hopes that Afghan soil will not be used against it.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed early Friday morning to continue the ceasefire following a rapid deterioration of ties between the two neighbours and a brief conflict along their shared border earlier this month. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations began in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern over terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan remained a major point of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Last-ditch efforts on Thursday by the mediating countries brought both sides back to the negotiating table. A joint statement released after the conclusion of the latest round of dialogue stated “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a Principal level meeting in Istanbul on November 6. During this period, the two countries also agreed on a “monitoring and verification mechanism” to ensure the maintenance of peace and to impose a penalty on the side that breaches the ceasefire. “All parties have agreed to put in place a moni...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that a “ray of light” was visible in the Istanbul negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid current tensions, and there was room for “guarded optimism” for a breakthrough, although nothing conclusive could be said at this stage. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations had begun in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern of terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan had been a bone of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Asif said earlier today that talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on cross-border terrorism could resume if Kabul signaled a shift in its attitude. Speaking in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Asif said that whereas hope had completely flatlined before, there were “some signs now”, although he made it clear that he could not say anything conclusive. Describing how the process of the talks worked, he said different drafts were prepared and when one side agreed to one,...

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday that Pakistan sought peace with all neighbours, including Afghanistan, but reiterated that the country will not allow cross-border terrorism to be perpetrated from Afghan soil. According to a statement from the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir made the comments during a trip to Peshawar, where he held an interactive session with a jirga of tribal elders. Later on, he was given a comprehensive briefing at Headquarters 11 Corps on the prevailing security environment, operational preparedness and ongoing counter terrorism efforts to maintain peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have worsened sharply in recent weeks, marked by border clashes and mutual accusations. Islamabad has repeatedly warned Kabul against permitting the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to use Afghan territory for attacks — an allegation the Taliban reject. After ...

Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that India remains committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan, amid Kabul’s heightened tensions with Pakistan. Pakistan-Afghanistan ties have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks amid border clashes and mutual accusations. Islamabad has long been warning Kabul against allowing the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil — a claim the Taliban deny. Following a ceasefire, talks in Turkiye began to establish a mechanism to monitor Taliban efforts to curb cross-border attacks, but have so far resulted in an impasse. At a press briefing, the spokesperson received questions asking why Pakistan was blaming Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij for terrorist attacks on its soil and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks about Kabul fighting a proxy war on behalf of Delhi. “In my last briefing, I had elaborated our point of view; our thoughts on this particular matter. Pakist...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stated that India is waging a “low-intensity” war against Pakistan from Afghanistan, adding that New Delhi is trying to “settle the score” after facing defeat in the four-day conflict with Islamabad in May. Asif expressed these views during an interview with Al Arabiya English that was released late on Wednesday. His remarks are a continuation of the censure he has been directing toward Kabul in connection with terror incidents in Pakistan, recent border hostilities and the subsequent failure of talks with its Taliban rulers. He was asked during his interview with Al Arabiya about the evidence he had to back his assertions that New Delhi was “pulling the strings” during talks with Taliban representatives in Doha and Turkiye. “When it comes to showing the evidence, or tabling the evidence, we will do that. We have the evidence,” Asif replied, highlighting that the Afghan foreign minister was visiting the Indian capital when border clashes began between Pakistan and Afghanistan...

Posts from pro-Afghan and Indian users on social media platform X on Wednesday were sharing a video claiming it showed Russian President Vladimir Putin warning Pakistan’s army and offering support to Afghanistan amid the current tensions between the two countries. However, the video is dubbed over and has nothing to do with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan is witnessing a deterioration in ties with Afghanistan, with recent border skirmishes, counter-statements and allegations. The hostilities began earlier this month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghanistan on the night of Oct 11. The attack had followed an allegation from the Taliban of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan — an accusation which Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied. For its part, Islamabad has long demanded that the Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil. Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to grapple with th...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned the Taliban regime on Wednesday that Islamabad would strike “deep into Afghanistan” if Afghan soil was used to launch terror attacks on Pakistan. In a pre-dawn announcement, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the latest round of talks between the two countries in Turkiye, which aimed to address cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, “failed to bring about any workable solution”. “We will conduct strikes, we definitely will,” Asif told reporters at Parliament House, when asked about the options available for Pakistan in case of cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. “If their territory is used and they violate our territory, then, if we need to go deep into Afghanistan to retaliate, we surely will,” he added. Earlier, when the second round of talks had begun between the two sides on Oct 25, Asif had warned that failure to reach an agreement would mean “open war”. Speaking about the recently collapsed talks today, Asif said, “Kabul was not sincere at any l...

K-P urges APC on Afghanistan

A second round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan kicked off in Istanbul on Saturday, with Islamabad eyeing a “concrete” mechanism to monitor Afghan Taliban actions aimed at preventing cross-border terrorist attacks. Today’s meeting follows the first round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks mediated jointly by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha on October 18-19. The Qatar talks had come after days of fighting along the Pak-Afghan border — where trade is still closed — and strikes by Islamabad on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan. The agreement reached in Doha extended an initial 48-hour truce and resulted in a permanent ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. According to Afghan interim administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan delegation was to be led by Mawlawi Rahmatullah Najeeb, deputy minister at Ministry of Interior, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported. Islamabad has not said who it has sent...

India restored its embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Tuesday following warming ties between the two nations. India had closed its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban seized power following the withdrawal of US-led Nato forces in 2021, but opened a small mission a year later to facilitate trade, medical support, and humanitarian aid. About a dozen countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Turkiye have embassies operating in Kabul, although Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban administration. “In keeping with the decision announced during the recent visit of the Afghan FM to India, the government is restoring the status of the technical mission of India in Kabul to that of embassy of India in Afghanistan with immediate effect,” said a press release issued today by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. It added the decision underscored India’s resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest. The MEA elaborated tha...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has, for the first time, publicly confirmed that Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan earlier this month targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Kabul and other cities.

Pakistan has approved a revised barter trade framework to facilitate smoother trade with Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia, expanding the scope of goods exchange under more flexible terms.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending cross-border terrorism, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabia.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both countries pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and are expected to meet again on October 25 to further discuss matters, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday. Amid heightened tensions along the Pak-Afghan border, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Asif travelled to Doha on Saturday for talks with Afghan Taliban officials, aimed at ending cross-border hostilities and addressing Pakistan’s security concerns. Facilitated by Qatar, the talks followed days of clashes and Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, after a 48-hour ceasefire was extended to allow negotiations. In a post on X, the minister announced, “A ceasefire agreement has been finalised. The terrorist attacks from Afghanistan on Pakistan’s soil will cease immediately. Both neighbouring countries will respect each other’s territory,” adding that delegations will meet again in Istanbul on October...

ISLAMABAD - In a major breakthrough Paki­stan and Afghanistan, after a 13-hour long talks, agreed to an im­mediate ceasefire facilitated and mediated by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha early Sunday morning.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following talks mediated by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced on Saturday night.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both sides also decided to establish a permanent mechanism to ensure lasting peace and stability, state-run PTV News reported on Sunday. Amid heightened tensions along the Pak-Afghan border, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif travelled to Doha on Saturday for talks with Afghan Taliban officials, aimed at ending cross-border hostilities and addressing Pakistan’s security concerns. Facilitated by Qatar, the talks followed days of clashes and Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, after a 48-hour ceasefire was extended to allow negotiations. A post on the X account of PTV News, citing the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “During the negotiations held in Doha between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both countries agreed on an immediate ceasefire.” “During the talks, both countries not only agreed on an immediate ceasefire but also decided to es...