KABUL – Pakistan and Afghanistan vowed to prevent any further military escalation of their recent armed conflict, following a week of high-stakes talks hosted by China in Ürümqi, Beijing announced Wednesday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the discussions “frank and pragmatic” with a “positive atmosphere,” as delegations from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China engaged in intense dialogue from April 1 to 7.
Both Islamabad and Kabul pledged to swiftly resolve their disputes and restore normal relations, agreeing not to take any actions that could worsen the already tense situation. However, the Foreign Office (Pakistan) has yet to issue an official statement, leaving analysts cautious about the real impact of the agreement.
Diplomatic ties had been largely frozen since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in late February against militant hideouts in Afghanistan, following cross-border attacks by the Afghan Taliban. A brief five-day pause in March during Eid al-Fitr signaled temporary restraint, but Pakistan stressed the operation would continue until its objectives were achieved.
Earlier, Tahir Andrabi stressed that while Pakistan remains committed to dialogue, the burden of action lies with Kabul, which must demonstrate “visible and verifiable” measures against militants, especially the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Tensions have surged since the return of the Taliban in 2021, with militant attacks in Pakistan rising sharply. International calls from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey have urged restraint, but Pakistani officials insist that peace hinges on the Taliban ending their support for terrorist networks.
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir has warned that true peace will remain out of reach unless Afghanistan takes decisive action against militant groups operating from its soil.
Pakistan’s military killed nearly 800 fighters in its ongoing Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq, which started in Mid-February in response to cross-border attacks and rising militancy along its frontier.
The military claims 796 TTP and Afghan Taliban fighters killed, 1,043 injured, 286 militant posts destroyed, 44 captured, and 249 armored vehicles, artillery, and drones eliminated. Tarar highlighted that on April 2–3, militants attempting to storm a border post in the Ghulam Khan Sector were repelled, leaving 37 dead and over 80 injured. Independent verification of these figures is unavailable.
The clashes escalated after Afghanistan conducted a cross-border raid in February, claiming retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory, which Islamabad says targeted TTP safe havens. Pakistan had briefly paused operations during Eid al-Fitr, following mediation by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, but fighting resumed on March 25.
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