Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire after a significant escalation of hostilities, including Pakistani precision strikes inside Afghanistan. The agreement, announced on October 15, 2025, comes after days of intense border clashes that have brought the two neighbors to the brink of a wider conflict.
Following appeals from regional powers, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire, which took effect at 6:00 PM local time on Wednesday . The Pakistani Foreign Office stated the truce was established to allow both sides to make "sincerely efforts through dialogue to find a solution to the standoff," which it described as complex but resolvable . While Pakistan's announcement specified the 48-hour timeframe and stated it was at Afghanistan's request, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed the ceasefire was at the "insistence" of the Pakistani side. Mujahid confirmed that Afghan forces have been instructed to respect the truce "as long as no one commits aggression".
The ceasefire was announced following a significant military escalation. Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan armed forces conducted what state media described as "precision strikes" inside Afghanistan, targeting the capital Kabul and the southern Kandahar province . Security sources reported that the strikes in Kandahar successfully destroyed Afghan Taliban Battalion Number 4 and Border Brigade Number 6, claiming that "dozens of foreign and Afghan operatives" were killed in the operation . The Pakistan Army stated these targets were "meticulously selected, isolated from civilian populations, and successfully destroyed" . These actions were described as a "retaliatory action against Afghan Taliban aggression" . The strikes followed overnight clashes along the border, which Pakistan's military said began with "unprovoked" attacks by Afghan forces on its posts in the Spin Boldak area . The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that Pakistani forces "effectively repulsed" these attacks, killing 15-20 Afghan Taliban members .
Pakistan's military actions and the subsequent acceptance of a ceasefire are framed within its longstanding national security concerns. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring militants from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups, which it says use Afghan soil to launch attacks into Pakistan . The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, reported that over 2,400 Pakistani security personnel have been killed in the first three quarters of 2025 alone, making it on track to be the deadliest year in a decade . This escalation in violence follows a weekend of clashes that Pakistan says began with Afghan Taliban attacks, resulting in the deaths of 23 Pakistani soldiers . Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier stated that "no ties" currently exist between Islamabad and Kabul, describing the environment as "hostile" . Analysts suggest Pakistan's recent forceful responses signal an attempt to establish a "new normal," making clear that attacks on its soil will invite retribution inside Afghanistan .
The recent hostilities have had immediate and severe consequences for the region. Key border crossings between the two countries have been closed, halting vital trade and stranding numerous vehicles laden with goods . Pakistan is a main source of goods and food supplies for landlocked Afghanistan, making the border closures a critical humanitarian concern. The fighting has also forced hundreds of families on both sides of the border to flee their homes . The violence has drawn international concern, with calls for de-escalation from countries including China and Russia, and an offer from US President Donald Trump to help broker peace.