Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to ceasefire after deadly clashes
The brief but intense fighting erupted along the border, stretching across Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak and Pakistan’s Chaman districts, leaving residents shaken and desperate for calm to return.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a fragile ceasefire agreement after a night of deadly cross-border clashes that left dozens dead and wounded, further straining relations between the two neighbors who were once close allies.
The announcement came early Wednesday, following intense fighting that broke out along the volatile frontier separating Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak district from Pakistan’s Chaman district — an area that has witnessed repeated flare-ups in recent years.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, the ceasefire was scheduled to take effect at 6 p.m. local time (13:00 GMT) and would last for 48 hours. In a statement, officials emphasized that both sides had agreed to engage in “sincere efforts through dialogue” to de-escalate tensions and find a peaceful solution to the crisis. “The situation is complex, but resolvable,” the ministry added, calling for restraint and continued communication between the two countries’ border security forces.
In contrast, the Taliban government in Kabul framed the ceasefire differently. Its chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a social media post that the truce had been reached “at the insistence of the Pakistani side,” a phrasing that subtly implied Pakistan had sought to halt hostilities first. His post notably did not mention any 48-hour limit to the truce, underscoring the differing narratives emerging from both capitals.
The overnight clashes had reignited fears of a deeper conflict between the two nations, who have long shared a complicated relationship marked by mistrust and shared history. Local reports from the border described the sound of heavy shelling echoing through nearby villages, forcing families to flee their homes in panic.
As both sides traded accusations over who fired first, the human toll continued to climb. In Kabul, far from the border but still caught in the country’s turmoil, tragedy struck again. The Italian NGO EMERGENCY, which operates one of the capital’s main trauma hospitals, said that at least five people were killed and 35 others wounded after a series of explosions rocked parts of the city just hours before the ceasefire was declared.
“We started receiving ambulances filled with wounded people,” said Dejan Panic, EMERGENCY’s country director in Afghanistan. “Forty people have arrived so far, including women and children. Unfortunately, five were already dead on arrival.”
For many in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the truce offers a brief moment of relief — but also uncertainty. Whether the guns will remain silent beyond the 48-hour mark remains to be seen. For now, weary civilians on both sides of the border can only hope that dialogue will finally succeed where gunfire has failed.