Taliban said in a statement on Sunday that under a new ceasefire deal, they have agreed “not to support groups that carry out attacks against the Pakistani government,”.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, confirmed in a statement that both sides agreed to refrain from hostile actions against one another.
He said the agreement includes a Taliban pledge not to support or tolerate attacks by armed groups opposed to the Pakistani government.
The ceasefire agreement was signed Saturday in the Qatari capital after days of high-level talks between Taliban and Pakistani officials. Taliban Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid and Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif participated in the negotiations, which were mediated by Qatar and Turkey.
“The two sides agreed to a complete and meaningful ceasefire,” Mujahid wrote, adding that both parties emphasized mutual respect, peaceful dialogue, and good-neighborly relations.
Under the agreement, no attacks will be carried out against each other’s security forces, civilians or infrastructure, and technical committees will be established to oversee implementation and investigate alleged violations.
Mujahid also said a joint monitoring mechanism will be set up with continued support from Qatari and Turkish officials.
The Doha talks followed a week of deadly cross-border clashes, including Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s southeastern provinces that killed dozens. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported 37 civilians killed and 425 wounded in border violence affecting provinces such as Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Kandahar and Helmand.
Islamabad has long accused the Taliban of harboring militants from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned group responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Taliban have denied formally supporting the TTP but have faced international pressure to crack down on cross-border militancy.
Pakistani media have reported that Islamabad’s primary demand in the talks was for Taliban to rein in terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan’s soil.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry described the agreement as “an important step toward regional stability and trust-building.”
The two sides also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to assess implementation and prevent further escalation.
