Pak-Afghan talks in Doha: After years of incursions; Pakistan firms not to tolerate Taliban-hosted terrorism

Monitoring Desk: After deadly border clashes, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to ceasefire after 14 hours talks in Doha hosted by Qatar and also attended by Turkish officials. The follow-up talks are planned in Istanbul on October 25.

According to available information in Qatar’s official media, Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed that Pakistan and Afghanistan accepted an immediate truce during peace talks in Doha, co-mediated by Turkey.

“Masoud Andarabi, Acting Director of Afghan Intelligence (NDS) during 2010-2021 confirmed that India is using Afghan Taliban to bleed Pakistan and fund Afghan Taliban since long to inject terrorism into Pakistan. He feared that India had planned to fight its war against Pakistan through Afghan soil and it would be another war of foreign powers to be fought at Afghan land”

An official statement of Qatari Foreign Office, Islamabad and Kabul would keep engage in follow-up meetings.  It is pertinent to mention that both the countries held over 100 meetings in last four years, but terrorism continues to come from Afghanistan.

DND Islamabad adds:

Defense Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Muhammad Asif who led Pakistan in talks said in his X message that a ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan reached in Doha, Qatar, on October 18, 2025, halting cross-border terrorism immediately and committing both nations to respect territorial integrity, with follow-up talks planned in Istanbul on October 25.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has lost more than 95,000 lives in the ongoing war against terrorism and is still fighting terrorists with full resolve and determination. Since 2021, Pakistan has used extensive diplomatic and security channels to address Taliban-hosted attacks by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan held 200 border flag meetings with Afghanistan and lodged 800 formal protests; yet incursions persist, with over 1,050 incidents since December 2021 and 3,800 Pakistani casualties. Even during a 48-hour ceasefire demanded by the Afghan Taliban regime, a suicide bombing took place on October 17, killing seven Pakistani soldiers.

In October 2025, Pakistan conducted strikes on Taliban hideouts and operations, killing 88 terrorists, boosting domestic morale while drawing international scrutiny over civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Thousands of residents in the former tribal areas gathered and lauded the Pakistan Army for delivering a befitting response to the Afghan regime. These residents announced their full support for Pakistan’s operations inside Afghanistan to curb terrorism and urged the government to allow them to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan Army against the Afghan regime that they say has been bleeding Pakistan since it recaptured Kabul in August 2021.

Several senior journalists and writers have lauded Pakistan’s strikes inside Afghanistan to purge terrorism, and they have also voiced support for Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, particularly targeting over 1.7 million undocumented individuals. They argue that the presence of Afghan refugees, especially those without legal status, poses a significant national-security risk to Pakistan. Some regional experts claim that Pakistan’s “Ummah” (Islamic brotherhood) mentality has allowed Afghans to exploit the country’s hospitality for more than 40 years, and they say this has been ignored by Pakistani institutions, creating economic and social burdens for Pakistan.

Security experts say deportations of illegal Afghans align with international immigration laws, as stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which imposes fines and punishments for overstaying visas similar to policies in European countries.

When asked to comment, a senior diplomat who oversaw Pak-Afghan relations before his retirement speaking on condition of anonymity said Afghanistan’s continuous physical and material support to the Indian proxy (TTP/Fitna al-Khawarij) is no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated. He believes it would be better for Afghanistan and its people to rid themselves of this proxy so relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan can remain productive and mutually beneficial. The Afghan Taliban now has a clear choice: stand with stability or side with forces of instability. “Duplicity is no longer acceptable nor will it be tolerated by Pakistan. Yet attacks against Pakistan continue to erupt from Afghan soil daily. I don’t think there is room for dialogue anymore, nor should any requests for a ceasefire be considered after all these efforts. The government must now decide whether it wants to eliminate this menace or continue bleeding in silence,” he questioned.

Meanwhile in an interview with BBC Masoud Andarabi a National Security and Counterterrorism Expert and former Minister of Interior/Acting Director of National Intelligence during 2010-2021 confirmed that India is using Afghan Taliban to bleed Pakistan and fund Afghan Taliban since long to inject terrorism into Pakistan. He feared that India had planned to fight its war against Pakistan through Afghan soil and it would be another war of foreign powers to be fought at Afghan land.