✍️🇵🇰🤝🇦🇫 Pakistan–Afghan Ceasefire: Asif Sets Record Straight in Doha Talks

Following last week’s Doha ceasefire announcement, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif clarified the terms, setting the record straight on what was agreed and with whom. Asif confirmed an immediate ceasefire with Afghanistan after talks mediated by Qatar 🇶🇦 and Turkiye 🇹🇷, held exclusively with the Afghan Taliban (TTA) and not the TTP, amid recent border clashes.

Key Points:

• Talks were held solely with the TTA, not the TTP, as Pakistan maintains a zero-negotiation stance toward the militant group.

• The ceasefire draft is concise, just four paragraphs, while viral versions circulating online are fabricated.

• Pakistan will raise the issue of TTP presence inside Afghanistan during the Istanbul talks on October 25.

• Asif, who earlier called the ceasefire “fragile” (Oct 15), now speaks with guarded optimism: “Hold on to hope, but it’s too early to conclude.”

• He reaffirmed that TTP leaders, families, and camps remain in Afghanistan, not Pakistan, despite Kabul’s denials.

• Warned of TTP and Indian elements attempting to sabotage peace, cautioning that violations could risk a wider conflict.


✍️ By dealing directly with Kabul’s leadership, Islamabad is testing the Taliban’s willingness to act against militant sanctuaries while keeping diplomatic channels open. The upcoming Istanbul talks on Oct 25 will serve as the first real test of Kabul’s commitment. If progress holds, both sides may move toward a verifiable monitoring framework; if not, Islamabad has signaled readiness to escalate and treat Afghan soil as a hostile frontier. Still, Asif’s tone of “guarded optimism” reflects Pakistan’s continuing preference for stability between brotherly nations, if trust is earned through action.

Sources: Geo News, Al Jazeera, Dawn, Radio Pakistan

@ThePulsePoint