Pakistan resumes Operation Ghazab lil-Haq as Torkham Border reopens for Afghan nationals

ISLAMABAD: The temporary pause in Pakistan’s Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban has ended, and the military campaign will continue “until its objectives are achieved,” the Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday.

FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the announcement during his weekly briefing, responding to questions about whether the pause had been extended.

Launched on the night of February 26 in response to cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban, Operation Ghazab lil-Haq is described as a “precise, targeted campaign” against the Taliban’s leadership, command infrastructure, logistics networks, and supporters of terrorist activities, Andrabi said.

He explained that the temporary suspension was observed out of deference to Eidul Fitr celebrations and following requests from “brotherly Islamic countries.” The pause concluded around midnight between March 23 and 24, after which operations resumed. “Operations will continue until the Afghan Taliban regime reviews its misplaced priority of supporting terror infrastructures and proxies over the welfare of their own people,” Andrabi said.

Earlier, on March 18, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had announced the pause, highlighting it as a gesture in good faith aligned with Islamic norms. The Afghan Taliban had also temporarily suspended attacks on Pakistan, citing requests from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Qatar.

Meanwhile, a group of clerics from Pakistan and Afghanistan had appealed to extend the pause to Eidul Azha, but Islamabad has reiterated its stance that the Taliban must dismantle terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, especially those linked to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan—requests that officials say remain unheeded.

Torkham border reopened for Afghan nationals

The Torkham crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened on Thursday to allow the return of stranded and undocumented Afghan nationals after being closed since February 26.

Officials at a temporary transit centre near Hamza Baba mausoleum in Landi Kotal said the first batch of 50 Afghan nationals, who had been lodged at a mosque since February, underwent the registration and clearance process for deportation. Another batch of around 100 Afghans from Peshawar was also processed promptly.

Families with expired travel documents or without visas were allowed to return to Afghanistan after completing registration at the transit centre. Pakistani authorities also coordinated with Afghan border officials to ensure the safe return of Pakistani nationals.