- Defence minister says truce reached on Kabul’s request after precision strikes in Kandahar, Kabul
- Alleges Afghan regime acting as India’s proxy and undermining regional peace, warning Islamabad will not tolerate renewed border aggression
- Welcomes Donald Trump’s offer to mediate ceasefire, calls efforts ‘most welcome’
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday warned that Pakistan would be compelled to respond if Afghanistan violated the 48-hour ceasefire currently in effect since 6pm on Wednesday—an arrangement reached at Kabul’s request.
Speaking to a private television channel, Mr Asif alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime was “effectively serving India’s interests” and fighting a “proxy war” on its behalf.
He said the government in Kabul had shown “no genuine intent for peace,” adding, “The tanks Afghanistan is displaying do not even exist in our arsenal. It is beyond comprehension why they are making such false claims—I don’t know which junkyard they acquired those tanks from.”
Commenting on international mediation efforts, the defence minister said, “Donald Trump has made efforts for ceasefires at the global level, and if he wishes to mediate for a ceasefire here as well, he is most welcome.”
Tensions along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border intensified over the weekend after Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, prompting what officials described as a swift and forceful response by the Pakistan Army. Several Afghan posts were reportedly destroyed, and dozens of Afghan soldiers and militants were killed.
Mr Asif said Pakistan had earlier agreed to engage in talks and even applied for visas following suggestions from friendly countries. However, the process was suspended, and visa applications were withdrawn after the latest clashes erupted.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the first confrontation occurred on the night of October 11–12, when Afghan Taliban forces, supported by what it termed “Indian-sponsored elements of Fitna al-Khwarij,” launched an unprovoked attack along the border.
(Fitna al-Khwarij is a state term for terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), introduced in May 2025.)
The 48-hour ceasefire, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, was agreed at the behest of the Taliban regime following Pakistan’s precision strikes on Taliban and terrorist hideouts in Kandahar and Kabul. The ministry said the truce was reached “with mutual consent” to pave the way for constructive dialogue and a “positive solution to a complex but solvable issue.”
