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.”
