18.03.2026 19:45
Pakistan announced that it has temporarily halted military operations against Afghanistan at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr.
Pakistan announced that it has temporarily halted military operations against Afghanistan in line with the requests of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey before Eid al-Fitr.
REQUEST CAME FROM TURKEY, QATAR, AND SAUDI ARABIA
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar made a statement regarding the issue on the social media platform of the US-based X company. Tarar stated that Pakistan has temporarily halted military operations against Afghanistan upon the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, coinciding with the upcoming Eid al-Fitr.
OPERATIONS WILL RESUME ON MARCH 24
Tarar conveyed that this pause would start from midnight on March 18 to March 19 and would be valid until midnight on March 23 to March 24, adding that operations would resume in the event of any attack or terrorist incident within Pakistan's borders.
PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT
On February 22, Pakistan targeted 7 points it described as "terror camps" along the border with Afghanistan in response to bomb attacks recently carried out by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in the country. The Afghan administration also conducted attacks on military facilities belonging to Islamabad along the border on February 26. In retaliation for these attacks, Pakistan began striking certain targets in Kabul and the border region.
Pakistan and Afghanistan experienced similar tensions in October 2025, and the parties met in Istanbul in November 2025 to discuss the details of a ceasefire, but the negotiations ended without results and were suspended.
Islamabad claims that the TTP has established itself in Afghanistan and organizes its attacks from there, while the Afghan administration denies these allegations.