Doha/Kabul/Islamabad, Oct 19: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after renewed cross-border hostilities left at least 10 people, including three Afghan cricketers, dead in Pakistani airstrikes on Saturday. The truce, confirmed by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, was jointly brokered by Qatar and Turkey following two days of escalating violence.
“Both sides have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner, thus contributing to achieving security and stability in both countries,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in an official statement.
The agreement comes after a brief 48-hour truce—also mediated by Qatar—collapsed earlier this week, leading to a fresh round of hostilities between Islamabad and Kabul. Delegations from both nations met in Doha to negotiate the new ceasefire, which officials hope will hold longer than the previous one.
During the talks, Qatar said the two sides discussed establishing “mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries.”
Both nations, however, continue to blame each other for the breach of the earlier ceasefire. Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund said Afghanistan “is not in favour of war,” accusing Pakistan of violating Afghan territory with airstrikes. “The fresh strikes were initiated by the Pakistani side,” Akhund said in a call with his Malaysian counterpart.
Pakistani security officials, on the other hand, said the air operations were conducted along border regions to target the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a militant group Islamabad accuses of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. Officials said the strike was in response to a recent assault on Pakistani paramilitary forces near the Durand Line.
According to local officials in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, at least 10 civilians were killed and 12 others wounded in the attacks. Among the victims were three Afghan cricketers — Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon — who were participating in a local tournament when the strikes occurred.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed their deaths in a statement and called for international condemnation of the attack. The International Cricket Council (ICC) also issued a note mourning the loss, describing the deaths as a “tragic reminder of the devastating impact of conflict on young lives and sport.”
The renewed truce, brokered by Doha and Ankara, is seen as a critical test of diplomacy amid mounting regional instability. Officials from both nations are expected to meet again next week to monitor compliance and discuss long-term peace mechanisms.
Despite the agreement, tensions remain high along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, where sporadic clashes and airstrikes in recent weeks have raised fears of a wider conflict between the two neighbours.
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