Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government on Wednesday announced a temporary halt to military strikes to mark the end of Ramadan and observe Eid al-Fitr.
Both sides said the pause was requested by “brotherly Islamic countries,” including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the pause would run from midnight Wednesday to midnight Monday.
“Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with Islamic norms,” Tarar wrote on X, while warning that “any cross-border attack, drone attack or any terrorist incident inside Pakistan” would lead to an immediate resumption of operations “with renewed intensity.”
Islamabad issued the initial declaration; Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid released a similar statement, saying Taliban forces would respond “decisively” to any threat.
The announcement came after Afghan officials accused a Pakistani airstrike of hitting the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul on Monday, saying hundreds were killed. Pakistan denied targeting the hospital, asserting its strikes in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan were aimed at military targets and dismissing reports of large civilian casualties as propaganda.
Clashes have escalated since late February, with repeated cross-border fire and airstrikes reaching deep into Afghan territory, including the capital, as Pakistan has characterized the situation as an “open war” with Afghanistan. The fighting has worried the international community, particularly along the porous border where al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and other militant groups remain active and are believed to be seeking to regroup.