ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday announced that Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban regime have agreed to a temporary ceasefire for the next 48 hours, following days of cross-border hostilities between the two sides.
According to a statement from the Foreign Office, the ceasefire—agreed with the mutual consent of both parties—will take effect from 6pm today (Wednesday) at the request of the Taliban authorities.
“A temporary ceasefire has been decided between the Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime, with the mutual consent of both parties, for the next 48 hours from 6pm today, at the request of the Taliban,” the Foreign Office stated.
“During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a constructive and peaceful solution to this complex but resolvable issue through dialogue,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said.
Pakistan’s retaliation to Afghan Taliban aggression
The ceasefire was announced after days of hostilities when the Afghan Taliban and allied terrorist groups launched unprovoked strikes on Pakistani posts.
The Pakistan military retaliated with full force and destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts inside Afghanistan and killing several terrorists.
Earlier today, the Pakistan military carried out “precision strikes” against key hideouts of the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province in retaliation to the Taliban and allied terrorist groups’ aggression against Pakistan, security sources said on Wednesday.
According to security sources, the strikes were launched in response to recent cross-border aggression by the Afghan Taliban.
The precision operation successfully targeted and destroyed the Afghan Taliban’s Battalion No. 4 and Border Brigade No. 6 — key units believed to be involved in planning attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, security sources said.
The security sources added that several hideouts were completely destroyed during the operation, resulting in heavy losses to terrorists. Among those killed were several “foreign and Afghan operatives” associated with the group’s cross-border networks.
پاک فوج کی افغان طالبان کی جارحیت پر جوابی کارروائی ، اہم ٹھکانے تباہ کردیئے
پاک فوج کی جانب سے افغان طالبان کے اہم ٹھکانوں کو کامیابی سے نشانہ بنایا گیا، سکیورٹی ذرائع
یہ Precision Strikes افغان صوبہ قندھار میں کی گئیں، سکیورٹی ذرائع
ان سٹرائیکس کے نتیجے میں افغان طالبان… pic.twitter.com/tFmRFvj5F4
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) October 15, 2025
“Pakistan Army is fully capable of giving a severe and complete response to any external aggression,” the security sources said.
Pakistan forces thwart terrorists’ infiltration bid
Earlier, terrorists attempted to infiltrate Pakistan through the Turkmenzai border area in Mohmand district. The infiltration attempt was aimed at launching terrorist activities inside Pakistan, the sources said.
The security sources further revealed that the Pakistani forces’ timely and forceful response thwarted the plot, forcing the Afghan Taliban to rely on elements of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group to continue their operations.
A major formation sent from across the border was completely neutralised in Mohmand, where at least 30 militants were killed, the sources said.
The sources reiterated that the Pakistan Army possesses the full capability to respond to any external aggression. The operation is still underway, with reports suggesting further militant casualties.
Moreover, the security sources said the Pakistan Army’s strong and decisive retaliatory strikes have left the Afghan Taliban in a state of panic.
According to the sources, the defeated Taliban, after suffering heavy human and material losses, have been forced to resort to false propaganda to conceal their failures.
Pakistani forces thwart cross-border assaults
Earlier today, Pakistan’s military said that the country’s security forces repelled multiple cross-border attacks launched from Afghanistan overnight, accusing the Afghanistan interim regime of sheltering terrorists who continue to target Pakistan’s border regions.
In a statement, Pakistan military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Afghan Taliban carried out “cowardly attacks” at four locations in the Spin Boldak area of Balochistan in the early hours of 15 October, while additional raids were attempted in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the ISPR, the attacks were “effectively repulsed” with heavy losses inflicted on the aggressors. Around 15–20 Taliban militants were killed in Spin Boldak and up to 30 in Kurram, where Pakistani troops destroyed eight posts and six tanks in what it described as a “proportionate yet decisive” response.
Pakistan blames Kabul for sheltering terror networks
The military accused Afghanistan’s Taliban regime of failing to curb cross-border terrorism and turning a blind eye to terrorist groups operating freely inside Afghan territory and carrying out terror attacks inside Pakistan.
“These cowardly attacks, orchestrated through divided villages, show complete disregard for civilian populations,” the ISPR said, adding that the destruction of the Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate on the Afghan side “illustrates the mindset” of a regime unwilling to respect cross-border trade or tribal easement rights.
Islamabad said the presence of Fitna al-Khawarij—a group linked to banned anti-Pakistan networks—alongside Taliban units underscores the nexus between terrorist outfits operating under Kabul’s protection.
The ISPR noted reports of fresh terrorist build-ups across staging points inside Afghanistan, warning that “any act of aggression against Pakistan will be met with full force.”
Islamabad demands action from Kabul
Rejecting Kabul’s claims that Pakistan initiated the clashes, the ISPR called such allegations “outrageous and blatant lies,” accusing the Taliban regime of spreading false propaganda to divert attention from its failure to control terrorist elements.
Islamabad urged Afghanistan’s leadership to take immediate and verifiable action against terror sanctuaries and non-state actors targeting Pakistan, warning that continued inaction could “seriously endanger regional peace and stability.”
“The Armed Forces of Pakistan stand resolute and fully prepared to defend every inch of our territory,” the statement read, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to peace but vowing to retaliate against any future provocations.
