A high-level delegation from Afghanistan arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday for peace talks with Pakistan, following an agreement by both sides to extend a ceasefire after fierce border clashes that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the development in a statement, saying the delegation was led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob. “As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha,” he said.
A Pakistani delegation had already arrived in the Qatari capital on Friday and was expected to be joined by senior officials, according to three government and security sources who spoke to Reuters.
Tense Calm after Days of Fighting
The government in Islamabad has yet to confirm its participation in the talks, as Pakistan’s defence and foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
The ceasefire, initially set for 48 hours, was extended on Friday for the duration of the Doha talks, sources said. The truce follows a week of intense clashes — the worst violence between the two South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
The latest fighting erupted after Pakistan accused Afghanistan of harbouring militants responsible for a surge in cross-border attacks. Islamabad demanded that Kabul take action against those operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.
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In his address to graduating cadets on Saturday, Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said: “The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan.”
However, Kabul accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire by conducting fresh airstrikes inside Afghan territory just hours after the truce was renewed.
“The strikes killed several civilians, including local cricketers,” Mujahid said, condemning the attacks and warning that Afghanistan reserved the right to respond. He added that Afghan forces had been instructed not to retaliate in order to preserve the integrity of the ongoing negotiations.
The Pakistani military has yet to comment on the alleged airstrikes.
In a related development, the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced that its national team would withdraw from a cricket tournament scheduled to take place in Pakistan in November, citing the deaths of local cricketers in the airstrikes.
The cross-border violence underscores the growing strain between the Taliban-led government in Kabul and Islamabad, once close allies united by shared interests in the region.
