ISLAMABAD: A temporary pause in cross-border hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan during Eid Al-Fitr is unlikely to hold without concrete action by Kabul against militants, Pakistani analysts said this week, warning that tensions between the two neighbors remain high after a recent surge in violence.
The pause comes days after a major escalation in conflict, including Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that Kabul says hit a drug rehabilitation center in the capital, killing hundreds of civilians. Pakistan has denied targeting non-military sites, saying its operations were aimed at militant infrastructure. The strike has become the deadliest episode in the current phase of tensions, underscoring the risk of further escalation.
Allies-turned-foes Pakistan and Afghanistan’s worst fighting in years erupted last month, with Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds.
Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty that targeted civilians, and launched retaliatory operations.
This week, Islamabad announced a temporary pause in hostilities for the Eid holiday, while continuing to press Kabul to act against militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad has long accused the Afghan Taliban government of providing a safe haven to militants executing attacks on Pakistan from its soil, a charge the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul denies.
