Kabul must rein in militants for ceasefire to hold: Minister

Anything coming from Afghanistan will be (a) violation of this agreement, says Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif; next round of talks to be held in Istanbul on Oct.25

- Tariq Butt / Reuters

A ceasefire agreement between Islamabad and Kabul rests on the ruling Afghan Taliban's ability to rein in militants attacking Pakistan across their shared border, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters on Monday, underscoring the fragility of the accord.

The South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire in Doha at the weekend after days of border clashes that killed dozens, the worst such violence since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

Ground fighting between the onetime allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-km frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul control militants, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

“Anything coming from Afghanistan will be (a) violation of this agreement,” said Asif, who led the talks with his Afghan counterpart Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob. “Everything hinges on this one clause.”

The Taliban administration and Afghanistan’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.