Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad is ready to hold talks with the Taliban if the group agrees to Pakistan’s conditions, adding that the ball is in the Afghan Taliban’s court.
Speaking during a federal cabinet meeting, Sharif said both countries are currently observing a two-day ceasefire and that the decision to make it permanent now lies with the Taliban.
He noted that the Taliban had requested the truce and formally submitted a proposal. Islamabad, he said, agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire and made clear that it is prepared for dialogue if the Taliban take concrete steps to resolve outstanding issues and address Pakistan’s “genuine demands.”
Afghanistan’s state-run television, controlled by the Taliban, has reported the death of a second journalist in attacks allegedly carried out by Pakistani forces.
In a statement, the broadcaster said Abdul Zahir Safi was killed by Pakistani gunfire while on a media assignment near the border. The incident follows the reported death of another network correspondent, Abdul Ghafoor Abed, in Khost a day earlier. Another staff member was injured in the same attack.
The national broadcaster condemned Safi’s killing, calling it a “deliberate attack against journalists.” The statement did not specify the exact location or time of the incident.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture also accused Pakistan of killing two journalists from Afghanistan’s national television, though Islamabad has not yet commented on the allegations.
The European Union’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Gilles Bertrand, expressed concern over the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan during a meeting with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s Minister for Refugees, in Kabul.
According to the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees, Bertrand warned that the continued fighting was worsening Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation and urged both Kabul and Islamabad to resolve their differences through dialogue. Abdul Kabir told the envoy that the clashes had created major difficulties for returning Afghan refugees.
The meeting came as the Taliban and Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire following intense border clashes. Pakistan’s defence minister, however, said he was not optimistic about the truce holding.
Bertrand’s concerns follow reports that Pakistan’s border closures amid the conflict have further strained humanitarian conditions. During the meeting, Kabir called on the European Union to continue providing aid and stressed that international assistance should not be politicised.
According to the Taliban ministry, the European Union has allocated €138 million to support basic needs and humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan.
Taliban forces reportedly used drones for the first time in an attack on a Pakistani border post, sources within the group told Afghanistan International. The Taliban’s intelligence media outlet released a video purportedly showing the drone strike.
A Pakistani security source said the drone used was a rotary-wing, or copter-type, similar to those operated by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The black-and-white footage shows a drone dropping explosives from a low altitude onto a rectangular structure described as a Pakistani military position. Moments later, an explosion is seen.
Taliban officials have not disclosed details about the type or origin of the drones. However, the Pakistani security source said TTP had obtained several drones “through traders in Afghanistan,” adding that the Afghan Taliban may have supplied some, though this remains unconfirmed.
These small, lightweight, remotely controlled drones are often used by both state and non-state armed groups. This marks the first time Taliban-linked media have claimed the group has employed drones in combat beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
It remains unclear which country may have supplied military-grade drones to the Taliban. The group maintains close ties with Iran, a major producer and exporter of drones in the region.
Experts note that while commercial drones can be modified for military use, advanced models capable of carrying explosives are tightly controlled and typically sold only to governments.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was the first outlet to report, citing sources close to the Taliban, that Taliban forces had attacked Pakistani army positions along the Durand Line using drones. The report was later deleted from the Tasnim website.
According to the deleted report, the attacks “inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani soldiers.” The Pakistani government has not yet issued an official response.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced on Thursday that a man convicted of premeditated murder was executed by firing squad in a stadium in the central city of Badghis province.
The court said the death sentence had been approved by the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The court identified the executed man as Ismail, who was found guilty of deliberately killing a man named Dost Mohammad and a woman named Gulbarg. According to the statement, the death sentence was upheld by the Taliban’s primary, appellate, and supreme courts.
The execution was carried out in a sports stadium in Badghis in the presence of the Taliban’s chief justice, local officials, the Taliban governor of Herat, judges, government department heads, military personnel, and hundreds of residents.
In April 2024, the Taliban publicly executed four men across three provinces, two in Badghis, one in Nimroz, and one in Farah, all convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas (retribution).
Due to a lack of transparency and independent access, no comprehensive data exist on the total number of executions conducted under Taliban rule, both during their first regime (1996–2001) and since returning to power in 2021. However, based on official Taliban statements and available reports, this marks at least the tenth confirmed execution since the group’s return to power.
The Taliban Supreme Court did not specify whether the accused had access to legal representation or a fair trial.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns over the absence of due process and fair trials under Taliban rule. Despite widespread international condemnation of corporal punishment, torture, and public executions, the Taliban continue to conduct public floggings and executions, claiming they are in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at least 17 civilians were killed and 346 others wounded during recent clashes between Pakistani border forces and Taliban fighters in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.
UNAMA added that in separate incidents in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Kunar, and Helmand, at least one person was killed and 15 civilians were injured.
The mission noted that casualty figures remain preliminary as data collection is ongoing and the actual toll may be higher.
UNAMA urged both sides to cease hostilities, stressing the need to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life amid escalating border tensions.