Pakistan warns ceasefire with Afghanistan hinges on halting cross-border terrorist attacks

Pakistan warns ceasefire with Afghanistan hinges on halting cross-border terrorist attacks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Friday clarified that the current ceasefire with Afghanistan is not a “traditional” agreement between two states at war but is contingent on the cessation of terrorist attacks emanating from Afghan soil.

The statement from the Foreign Office comes amid renewed tensions along the 2,600-kilometre Pakistan-Afghanistan border, following recent militant attacks inside Pakistan and accusations of cross-border hostilities.

“The ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan does not imply a conventional ceasefire implemented after a war or conflict between two belligerent states,” FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during his weekly press briefing. “The Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire implies that there would be no terrorist attack by Afghan-sponsored terrorist proxies into Pakistan. There have been major terrorist attacks after this ceasefire.”

Andrabi stressed that the agreement should be understood in the context of preventing attacks by groups such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Faisalabad Akhtar Group (FAK), and other Afghan nationals operating from Afghan soil. “So, interpreting in that sense, the ceasefire is not holding because the ceasefire was about ceasing terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he added.

Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are at their lowest point since the group came to power in 2021. Border crossings have remained closed since October 11, with trade stalled following ground fighting and Pakistani airstrikes that killed dozens on both sides—the worst fighting along the frontier since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.

In an effort to mediate, Turkiye and Qatar hosted multiple rounds of talks in Doha. The first round produced a fragile ceasefire, the second concluded with a general agreement to develop a verification mechanism, and the third ended without concrete results. However, allegations of recent Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, which Islamabad has denied, have again heightened tensions, prompting threats of retaliation from Kabul.

“If Afghan nationals are attacking, as they did in Islamabad and elsewhere, we cannot be very optimistic about the ceasefire,” Andrabi noted. “It is not a traditional ceasefire but must be understood in the context of terrorist attacks from Afghanistan.” He reassured that Pakistan’s security forces remain fully alert, with military preparedness robust against any potential threats. “The security challenges we face will be addressed with the seriousness that they merit,” he said.

Responding to Afghan Taliban claims that Pakistan harbours ISIS militants, Andrabi called the allegations “outrageous” and baseless. “It is a figment of the imagination of the Afghan Taliban regime. Any extremist element in Pakistan is treated as per our laws. This statement of ISIS presence in Pakistan is totally unfounded,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Information Ministry confirmed that all attackers involved in the Cadet College Wana assault in South Waziristan were Afghan citizens. The assailants breached the main gate of the college, but a swift response by security forces averted a major tragedy.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry also noted that a suicide bomber outside the Islamabad district and sessions court building was not a Pakistani national. That blast killed 12 and injured 36 people. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused Afghanistan and India of involvement in terrorism, promising a “befitting response,” while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said attacks on terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan could not be ruled out.

In a separate statement on Friday, the Foreign Office strongly condemned the shooting of two United States National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC, reportedly by an Afghan national. One soldier succumbed to injuries, while the other remains critically wounded. President Donald Trump described the incident as an “act of terror.”

“Pakistan strongly condemns this shooting incident,” the FO said, extending sympathies to the families affected and the US government. “For the past two decades, Pakistan has endured countless similar terrorist incidents, often linked to Afghanistan. This attack underscores the challenges of transnational terrorism and the urgent need for enhanced global cooperation.”

The FO added that Pakistan remains committed to working with the US and the international community to confront terrorism collectively. “This incident heralds a troubling resurgence of terrorism on a global scale. The international community must take note and reinvigorate collective counter-terrorism efforts,” the statement said.

courtesy pakistantoday news