ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday his country’s international partners, particularly Qatar, were playing a role in efforts to resolve ongoing hostilities with Afghanistan, adding that Islamabad had agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire announced a day earlier at Kabul’s request and that “the ball is now in their court.”
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply deteriorated in recent years, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering fighters from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), allowing them to stage cross-border attacks from Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegation, saying it does not permit its territory to be used against other countries.
Sporadic clashes between the two countries began last Saturday night, killing dozens of people on both sides, after Afghan officials accused Pakistan of violating its airspace and bombing a border town. The escalation has strained already frayed ties, coming as Afghanistan’s foreign minister visited India. Pakistan views New Delhi’s growing influence in Afghanistan as a regional security threat, given their long-standing rivalry.
Islamabad and Kabul announced a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday afternoon, with Pakistan’s foreign office saying “both sides will make a sincere effort to find a constructive solution to this complex yet resolvable issue through meaningful dialogue.”
“They [the Afghans] requested for a ceasefire,” Sharif said in his opening remarks to the federal cabinet. “If they want to resolve bilateral issues peacefully, we are ready to do so. They were given this message yesterday. The ball is now in their court.”
The prime minister said Pakistan wanted friendly relations with Afghanistan but accused the Taliban authorities in Kabul of giving a free rein to anti-Pakistan militant groups and facilitating their cross-border raids.
“Militants operating from Afghanistan are not only martyring innocent citizens in Pakistan, but have also martyred soldiers, police and law enforcement officials,” he said, adding that the recent surge in militant incidents had tested Islamabad’s patience.
Sharif said his government had engaged Kabul repeatedly through diplomatic channels to resolve tensions.
“The deputy prime minister and defense minister have both been to Kabul more than once,” he said. “We talked to them in a good manner. We are neighbors and will continue to live side by side till the Day of Judgment. It is up to us to resolve our issues peacefully.”
He added that Pakistan’s “friends, especially Qatar,” were working to help defuse the situation.
Qatar has long played a key diplomatic role in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Taliban were allowed to open their political office in Doha while US-led forces were still in Kabul, and it was there that American officials and the Taliban reached a negotiated settlement before international troops withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Pakistan has since said the intensity of militant attacks by groups such as the TTP and BLA has increased, suggesting they operate under Kabul’s patronage.
Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to pursue peace through dialogue with the Afghan Taliban but warned against insincerity.
“This ceasefire has come into existence at their request,” he said. “But if it is only to buy time, we will not accept it.”
