Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has stated that Islamabad's fragile ceasefire agreement with Kabul hangs by a thread, as long as Afghanistan takes decisive action against armed groups based in its territory.
The fragile truce was brokered by Qatar and Turkey following weeks of deadly border clashes that pushed the two countries to their lowest point since the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Islamabad had demanded that Kabul exert control over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group comprising several armed groups, claiming they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
According to Asif, anything coming from Afghanistan would be a clear violation of the agreement, which stipulates no incursions into each other's territory. The minister further alleged that TTP operates "in connivance" with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, an accusation denied by Kabul.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, stated that under the terms of the agreement, neither country would undertake any hostile actions against the other or support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan. The countries also agreed to refrain from targeting each other's security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure.
The Pakistani military has been conducting airstrikes in Kabul, including one on October 9 aimed at killing TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud, who appeared alive in a video later. Asif defended the military action, saying they were being attacked and retaliating "tit for tat".
A meeting is scheduled to be held in Istanbul on October 25 to evolve a mechanism on how to enforce the agreement, which has raised hopes of a more lasting peace between the two nations.
The fragile truce was brokered by Qatar and Turkey following weeks of deadly border clashes that pushed the two countries to their lowest point since the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Islamabad had demanded that Kabul exert control over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group comprising several armed groups, claiming they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
According to Asif, anything coming from Afghanistan would be a clear violation of the agreement, which stipulates no incursions into each other's territory. The minister further alleged that TTP operates "in connivance" with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, an accusation denied by Kabul.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, stated that under the terms of the agreement, neither country would undertake any hostile actions against the other or support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan. The countries also agreed to refrain from targeting each other's security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure.
The Pakistani military has been conducting airstrikes in Kabul, including one on October 9 aimed at killing TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud, who appeared alive in a video later. Asif defended the military action, saying they were being attacked and retaliating "tit for tat".
A meeting is scheduled to be held in Istanbul on October 25 to evolve a mechanism on how to enforce the agreement, which has raised hopes of a more lasting peace between the two nations.
. They know it's a fragile truce and they're all waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak 
. I get that TTP is a big issue, but do we really need more airstrikes in Kabul? 
Those airstrikes are gonna hurt innocent ppl & just create more instability 
. Can't they try some diplomatic solutions 4 once? 
I guess only time will tell if this agreement holds or not... 
I'm low-key worried about this ceasefire agreement in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Like, what if Afghanistan doesn't take decisive action against those armed groups? 
Can we just get some stability in that region already?! 
I mean, I feel for Pakistan - they've been dealing with TTP for ages, but Kabul needs to step up its game too! 
It's gonna be interesting to see what happens at this Istanbul meeting... will it actually make a difference? 
meanwhile pakistan's defence minister is all like "if u don't control ttp then the ceasefire is off" lol what a cop out 
. Still, I guess it's better than nothing? 
.
. And let's be real, the Pakistani military's been getting hammered by those TTP guys and it's about time someone took action 
. I'm not saying Asif is right all the way, but he's definitely got a point - this ceasefire agreement needs some serious teeth to make it stick 
.
I hope that meeting in Istanbul on Oct 25 works out, maybe they can figure out some way to make this ceasefire stick and actually bring peace to the region. 
So Islamabad's fragile ceasefire with Kabul is literally hanging by a thread... because Afghanistan has to take some decisive action against TTP? Like, they're waiting for the Afghan government to tell them what to do? 
i'm worried that if they can't work out their differences, it could lead to another war in the region that would be devastating for innocent people. but at the same time, the fact that they're even trying to negotiate a ceasefire and agreeing not to target each other's security forces is a good start 
let's keep our fingers crossed that the meeting in istanbul on oct 25 can help them find a more lasting solution 
. And then we gotta have meetings in Istanbul to figure out how to enforce this agreement? 
. Can't they just work together? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this meeting on Oct 25 goes well 
also what's up with the pakistani military doing airstrikes in kabul lol like didnt they already get a warning 
anyway hope this meeting in istanbul helps keep the peace 