Pakistan announced a temporary pause in its military strikes against the Taliban on Wednesday ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, following requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, as cross-border clashes between the two sides entered their third week.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the pause would take effect at midnight Wednesday and remain in place until midnight Monday.
“Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with the Islamic norms,” Tarar said in a statement.
He added that the pause would be conditional and that operations would resume “with renewed intensity” in the event of any cross-border or drone attack, or any militant incident inside Pakistan.
The announcement comes two days after Taliban said Pakistani airstrikes hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Center in Kabul, with Taliban reporting that hundreds of people were killed.
Taliban held a mass funeral Wednesday for some of the victims, as families called for an investigation into the incident.
Pakistan has claimed that it has not targeted the rehabilitation center.
The United Nations has said the facility was “impacted” and reported dozens of casualties, without confirming whether it was directly targeted.
The pause comes amid escalating violence between Pakistani forces and Taliban, with both sides accusing each other of attacks.
The clashes, which began on Feb. 26, have involved airstrikes, artillery fire and cross-border operations, raising concerns over civilian casualties and regional stability.
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
