ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to hold talks to defuse ongoing border tensions, security sources confirmed to Pakistan TV Digital on Thursday, following a week of deadly clashes and a temporary 48-hour ceasefire.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing his cabinet earlier in the day in Islamabad, said the “ball is in the Afghan Taliban’s court” to ensure a lasting truce and address Pakistan’s security concerns.
“If in 48 hours they want to resolve the issues and address our genuine demands, then we are ready for them,” Sharif said, stressing that Afghan territory must not be used for attacks inside Pakistan.
His remarks came as the Pakistan Army announced that more than 80 militants were killed in a series of counterterrorism operations along the frontier, even as the ceasefire remained in effect.
According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces foiled a major infiltration attempt in the Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least 45 militants linked to Fitna al-Khwarij, a term used by Islamabad for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The ISPR said the attackers had crossed from Afghanistan intending to strike targets inside Pakistan. “Between 45 and 50 militants were killed, while several others were injured,” the statement added.
In earlier operations between October 13 and 15, the army targeted militant hideouts in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and Bannu districts, killing 34 terrorists, including 18 in North Waziristan’s Spinwam area, eight in South Waziristan, and another eight in Bannu, after intense exchanges of fire.
The military described the operations as part of a broader campaign against groups backed by “hostile intelligence networks.”
The clashes this week were among the most serious in months, leaving dozens of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides before the ceasefire took effect.
The latest exchange comes after cross-border assaults on the night of October 11–12, when Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants launched coordinated attacks along multiple sectors. Pakistani forces repelled the offensive, killing over 200 attackers, while 23 soldiers embraced martyrdom, according to the military’s media wing ISPR.
As both sides prepare for talks, Sharif’s remarks signal Islamabad’s firm stance: any enduring peace, officials say, will depend on Kabul’s willingness to rein in militants operating from Afghan soil.
