Afghanistan, Pakistan sign ceasefire deal in Qatar talks

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” at talks in Doha, Qatar said on Sunday, after at least 10 Afghans were killed in Pakistani air strikes that broke an earlier truce, AP reported.

- Agencies

For more than a week, the countries have engaged in bloody border clashes — their worst conflict since the return of the Taliban government in 2021.

A 48-hour truce briefly put a stop to the fighting, which has killed dozens of troops and civilians, until Friday’s air strikes.

After peace talks in Doha, Qatar's foreign ministry said early Sunday that “the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries”.

They also agreed to followup meetings in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire, the foreign ministry added.

Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif confirmed that a ceasefire agreement had been reached and said the two sides would meet again in Istanbul on October 25.

“Terrorism on Pakistani soil conducted from Afghanistan will immediately stop. Both neighbouring countries will respect each other's sovereignty,” Asif posted on social media.