Pakistan, Afghanistan extend ceasefire until end of Doha talks

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban on Friday agreed to exend the temporary ceasefire until the end of talks in Qatar capital Doha, media reports said, citing diplomatic sources.

The sources said that a Pakistani delegation has already reached Doha, while the Afghan delegation was expected to arrive on Saturday.

The short-term truce, which Pakistan had accepted earlier at Afghanistan’s request, brought a pause to several days of intense cross-border clashes that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.

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The announcement came shortly after Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan confirmed that both countries were engaged in “constructive dialogue” to de-escalate the situation along the frontier.

During his weekly press briefing, Khan said the two sides were making sincere efforts to reach a peaceful and positive resolution to this issue under the temporary ceasefire arrangement.

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have been on the rise as Pakistan continues to urge the Afghan Taliban government to take action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory, amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.