ISLAMABAD: Foreign affairs and security analysts on Sunday said the durability of a ceasefire reached between Pakistan and Afghanistan depends on the Taliban’s ability to rein in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), warning that any failure could force Islamabad to act against the militant group and further harm bilateral ties.
Pakistan and Afghanistan reached a ceasefire agreement in Doha on Saturday night after days of fierce clashes ad airstrikes between the two sides, which killed dozens of people on both sides and pushed already frayed relations between the neighbors to a new low.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harboring militant groups such as the TTP and the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which carry out attacks against its security forces and civilians. Kabul denies the allegations, but the issue has remained a major sticking point between the two countries.
Border clashes erupted between the neighbors on Oct. 11 after Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Kabul following the killing of a dozen Pakistani soldiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. The skirmishes and strikes continued intermittently before the two sides reached a ceasefire in Doha.
