Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday (October 20, 2025) said the ceasefire arrangement with Afghanistan hinges on Taliban’s commitment to rein in terrorists attacking his country from across the border.

His statement comes a day after both sides agreed on a ceasefire following talks in Doha, which were facilitated by Qatar and Turkiye.

“Anything coming from Afghanistan will be [a] violation of this agreement,” Asif was quoted as saying Dawn. “Everything hinges on this one clause.”

He said that in the agreement signed by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkiye and Qatar, “it was clearly spelled out that there would not be any incursions”.

“We have a ceasefire agreement as long as there is no violation of the agreement which is already in force,” he said.

Mr. Asif has said that the primary objective of the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan is to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic, the minister said that terrorism has been affecting border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan for years.

He said that both countries have reached the conclusion that immediate elimination of terrorism is essential and the two countries will make serious efforts to curb terrorism, otherwise, regional peace could face serious threats.

Mr. Asif said another meeting will be held next week in Istanbul to finalize the details of the agreement.

He said Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob acknowledged that terrorism is the main reason behind the tensions in our relations, which will now be addressed.

He hoped that peace will now return, and relations will normalize between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As a result, Pakistan-Afghanistan trade and transit will also resume, and Afghanistan will be able to use Pakistani ports.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since 2023, with Islamabad repeatedly raising concerns over the use of Afghan soil by militants carrying out cross-border attacks.

The situation further deteriorated following repeated terrorist attacks by TTP, including one in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district recently, which claimed the lives of 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday (October 16, 2025) said Pakistan was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan, but only on “legitimate and mutually respectful conditions” following the clashes at the border between the two countries.

Mr. Sharif made the remarks while addressing the federal Cabinet meeting, where he talked about the recent tensions with Afghanistan that erupted into a mini-war between the two countries.

He said Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire at the request of Afghanistan, and now the ball is in Kabul’s court to decide the matter peacefully. He said Pakistan is ready to resolve the issue at the dialogue table.

“We are ready to engage in dialogue with Afghanistan under legitimate conditions. We told our brotherly neighbour that we seek peace through mutual consultation and cooperation,” he said.

Pakistan and Afghan­istan on Wednesday (October 15, 2025) agreed to a temporary ceasefire. Both countries claimed that it was requested by the other side.

Mr. Sharif said that several top officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and others, repeatedly visited Kabul to convey Pakistan’s desire for peace and development in the region.

“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, (the Taliban regime in) Afghanistan did not prioritise peace and adopted the path of aggression,” he said, adding that Pakistan had to launch a full-scale retaliatory action as patience had run out after the recent events.

He further alleged that Afghanistan attacked Pakistan “at India’s behest”, as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in Delhi when attacks were launched.  Mr. Sharif said the Qatari emir had condemned the entire episode in talks with him in Egypt and expressed his desire to play a role in cooling down tensions.

He said that Pakistan was forced to respond to terrorist activities being operated from Afghan soil, killing innocent civilians and security personnel of Pakistan. He said Pakistan has conveyed its concerns through diplomatic channels, but to no avail.