Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to temporary Eid al-Fitr ‘pause’ in conflict
Al Jazeera
Pakistani minister says five-day pause, to begin at midnight Thursday, requested by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a temporary “pause” in hostilities during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr this week, officials said, amid weeks of deadly violence between the neighbouring countries.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the pause – set to run from midnight on Thursday (19:00 GMT on Wednesday) until midnight on Tuesday (19:00 GMT on Monday) – had been requested by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.
“Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with the Islamic norms,” Tarar wrote in a social media post.
However, he warned that “in case of any cross-border attack, drone attack or any terrorist incident inside Pakistan, [operations] shall immediately resume with renewed intensity”.
Shortly after the announcement, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Taliban government also said it would temporarily suspend military operations against Pakistan.
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