PESHAWAR:The recently concluded ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been widely welcomed by political analysts, foreign affairs experts, and diplomats, who have termed it a significant and positive step towards regional peace and stability.
\nFormer Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq lauded the development, describing it as a constructive and positive move in the right direction by both neighboring countries.
\nHe said the agreement marks an end to days of hostility sparked by unprovoked border clashes instigated by Afghan Taliban forces and the militant group Fitnaul Khawarij.
\nThe ceasefire was finalized last night in Doha, Qatar, with both countries expressing the hope that it would pave the way for a verifiable mechanism to monitor and prevent terrorist activities emanating from Afghan soil.
\n\u201cIt is imperative to consolidate this agreement to avoid further loss of lives on both sides,\u201d said Ambassador Manzoorul Haq. He appreciated the vital mediation roles played by Qatar and T\u00fcrkiye, and emphasized that the onus now lies on the Afghan Taliban Government to ensure their territory is not used for launching attacks against Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Adnan Sarwar Khan, former Chairman of the International Relations Department at the University of Peshawar, termed the agreement a welcome development that could help end the ongoing security-related tensions between the two neighbors.<\/p>\n
However, he urged the Afghan interim government to take decisive action against terrorist groups like Fitnaul Khawarij, TTP and other fugitives operating from within Afghanistan.
\nHe observed that the recent clashes, initiated by unprovoked aggression from the Afghan side and elements of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had prompted Pakistan to retaliate with targeted airstrikes and ground operations, reportedly eliminating over 200 militants and injuring many others besides dismantling terror camps in Afghanistan.
\nThe temporary truce, reached on Wednesday following Afghanistan\u2019s request, brought a halt to several days of intense cross-border clashes that had resulted in human and material casualties.
\nAdnan Khan also praised the peace efforts of Qatar and T\u00fcrkiye in facilitating dialogue, adding Pakistan\u2019s delegation, led by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, while the Afghan side, represented by Mullah Yaqoob, the Acting Defence Minister showed political acumen and magnanimity during the successful dialogue.
\nHe welcomed Defence Minister Asif\u2019s announcement confirming the ceasefire and Islamabad\u2019s firm stance on its national security, with both countries agreeing to mutual respect for territorial sovereignty. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for October 25 in Istanbul.
\nSince the Taliban\u2019s return to power in 2021, he said, Pakistan has witnessed a significant rise in cross-border terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
\nHe emphasized the strategic and economic significance of the 2,500-kilometer-long porous border between the two nations, which plays a key role in regional trade and people-to-people ties.
\nOn Friday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, while addressing the passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, called on the people of Afghanistan to choose peace over violence. He urged the Taliban regime to act decisively against terrorist proxies using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan. \u201cEvery state proxy of our neighbour will be raised to dust,\u201d the COAS warned.
\nBrigadier (Retd) Mehmood Shah, former Secretary for Law and Order in the erstwhile FATA, also welcomed the agreement, expressing the hope that the Afghan interim government would take serious steps to prevent their soil from being used for terrorism against Pakistan.
\nThe recent unprovoked attacks by the Afghan Taliban and TTP confirm Pakistan\u2019s long-held position that the Taliban regime is enabling terrorist groups. He accused the Taliban of repeatedly violating the Doha Peace Agreement by providing safe havens and training facilities to TTP militants, which will not be tolerated further.
\nHe also criticized alleged collusion between the Taliban regime and India, accusing both of attempting to destabilize the region. Commenting on a recent joint communiqu\u00e9 by India and Afghanistan regarding Kashmir, Brigadier Mahmood Shah termed it a strategic ploy aimed at pitching Pakistan and Afghanistan against each other. He claimed India would be disappointed by the new ceasefire agreement, which undermines its nefarious agenda.
\nProfessor Dr Zahid Anwar, of the Political Science Department at the University of Peshawar, also welcomed the truce. He highlighted the dangerous impact of the $7.2 billion worth of U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan, much of which is now in the hands of militant groups.
\nHe urged the Taliban to disarm these groups and return the weapons to the Afghan state, and eventually to the U.S. authorities. Dr Anwar also criticized Afghanistan\u2019s engagement with India, calling on Afghan leadership to acknowledge Pakistan\u2019s support over the decades, including hosting more than 4 million Afghan refugees since 1979.
\n\u201cFrom transit trade concessions to humanitarian aid and medical support, Pakistan has stood by Afghanistan in all difficult situations. Unfortunately, this goodwill is now being undermined by misguided diplomatic and security moves,\u201d he added.
\nExperts concluded that the ceasefire agreement will not only reduce immediate tensions but also help clear mutual misperceptions, paving the way for broader peace initiatives.
\nThey called for the international community to play a more proactive role in ensuring that agreements like the Doha Accord and principles of the UN Charter are respected and enforced by the Afghan Taliban Govt, imperative for peace and prosperity of the entire region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR:The recently concluded ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been widely welcomed by political analysts, foreign affairs experts, and diplomats, who have termed it a significant and positive step towards regional peace and stability. Former Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq lauded the development, describing it as a constructive and positive move in the right direction …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":88398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88410,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88388\/revisions\/88410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}