Pakistan and Afghanistan on March 18 announced a halt in fighting during celebrations for the end of Ramadan, after the deadliest strike in their escalating conflict killed hundreds in Kabul earlier this week. “Pakistan remains firmly committed to eradicating the menace of terrorism,” he said in a statement. Afghanistan and Pakistan have been locked in conflict for months over claims from Islamabad that Kabul is harbouring extremists behind cross-border attacks on its territory. The Eid truce came after a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul last Monday, which Afghan authorities said killed more than 400. In his own Pakistan Day message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said military action inside Afghanistan was “a symbol of our national resolve against terrorism”.

Source: Punch March 23, 2026 07:53 UTC