KABUL: Eid festivities were buzzing on Friday across Kabul, where the sounds of bombing and explosions that loomed over the city only days before have been replaced by celebrations of the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
The Afghan capital has grown relatively quiet since Afghanistan and Pakistan declared a temporary pause in fighting over the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, following weeks of deadly violence that saw both sides launching air and drone strikes against each other and engaging in ground firing across their 2,600-km border.
“It is very good that every corner of the country is at peace,” Kabul resident Dr. Pasarly told Arab News.
The suspension, which was mediated by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Qatar, began at midnight on Wednesday and is set to last until midnight next Monday.
The temporary ceasefire took place the same day a mass funeral was held in Kabul for victims of Pakistani airstrikes that hit a drug rehabilitation center on March 18, killing more than 400 people and injuring over 200 others, according to data from the Afghan Ministry of Interior.
Afghan officials have blamed Pakistani forces for the deadly blast, while Islamabad denied responsibility, with its information minister saying the military had targeted “terrorism-sponsoring military installations.”
On the first day of Eid, which fell on Thursday in Afghanistan, bazaars overflowed across Kabul as traffic snaked through every district, and a cold, steady rain did little to temper spirits.
Some Afghans shopped for dry fruits, fresh fruits, cookies, and sweets to share with their loved ones, while others clutched bags of new clothes and shoes for children and relatives, determined to celebrate.
Where ambulance sirens once blasted through the city, handcarts now moved slowly while a megaphone blared cheerful melodies from an ice cream truck. Kids played freely outdoors and families traveled across the capital to exchange Eid greetings.
But in other parts of the country, Afghans were observing Eid with fear.
In the eastern province of Kunar, which borders Pakistan, hundreds of families remain displaced as mortars and artillery shells continue to slam into villages and civilian homes over the past 24 hours, according to local media and government reports.
“The situation is not good in several areas,” Kunar resident Shir Agha Hewad told Arab News.
“Yesterday, eight people were killed. The shelling occurred in Nari, Dangam and Shultan districts.”
Back in Kabul, people try to hold on to the happiness of Eid.
“We did not wage war on others,” said Lala, a fruit seller in Kabul.
“It is foreigners who always wage and impose wars on us. If any power invades us, we have to defend our land, ourselves. We cannot turn our backs. We will not surrender to force.”
The temporary ceasefire comes after Pakistan and Afghanistan’s worst fighting in years erupted last month, with Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds.
Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty that targeted civilians and launched retaliatory operations, with the two countries engaging in tit-for-tat attacks since.
Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban government of providing a safe haven to militants executing attacks on Pakistan from its soil, a charge Kabul denies, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Afghan government spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, did not specify a timeframe for the pause in fighting this week.
In a statement on X, he said that “protecting Afghanistan’s national security and sovereignty and preserving the lives of the Afghan people are among national and legitimate duties, and in the event of any threat, it will courageously respond to any aggression.”
