Pakistan Agrees Not To Support Anti-Taliban Groups, Says Shaheen

A source said a 10-member delegation from Pakistan’s Chamber of Commerce met with officials from the Spin Boldak Chamber of Commerce in Kandahar to deliver a message about reopening the crossing, possibly on Sunday or Monday.

The deputy head of the Spin Boldak District Chamber of Commerce and Investment said he met with representatives from the Chaman Chamber of Commerce on Saturday to discuss the resumption of trade.

Local traders in Kandahar said the closure of the Chaman–Spin Boldak route has left thousands of cargo trucks carrying transit goods stranded on both sides of the border.

All trade routes between the two countries were shut down following recent border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces, bringing commercial activity to a halt.

A Pakistani official earlier said the closure of crossings including Torkham, Kharlachi, Ghulam Khan, and Chaman had caused millions of dollars in losses to traders.

Several Afghan traders in Torkham and Spin Boldak told Afghanistan International that Pakistani authorities have instructed Karachi port to suspend the loading of Afghan goods until further notice.

Afghan business representatives have urged both the Taliban administration and the Pakistani government to separate politics from trade and avoid disrupting commercial activities that sustain cross-border livelihoods.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to peace, mutual respect, and good neighbourly relations, agreeing to resolve disputes through dialogue.

He added that the Taliban would not support any groups operating against the Pakistani government. The agreement also includes a commitment that neither Pakistan nor the Taliban will conduct attacks against each other’s security forces, civilians, or facilities.

Mujahid said that, with mediation by Qatar and Türkiye, a joint mechanism will be established to investigate claims from both sides and oversee the ceasefire’s implementation.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the ceasefire agreement and announced that the second round of talks between the two sides will take place in Istanbul on October 25.

Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that allegations of civilian deaths were being spread to support “terrorist groups based in Afghanistan.” He maintained that no civilians were harmed in Friday night’s air operations near the frontier.

His remarks followed reports by Afghanistan’s state-run television, controlled by the Taliban, which said at least 10 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 13 others injured in Pakistani strikes on Paktika province. The Afghanistan Cricket Board also claimed that several players were among the victims.

Tarar said the strikes targeted verified camps belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in North and South Waziristan. He claimed that between 60 and 70 militants were killed in the operation.

Taliban Deputy Interior Minister Nabi Omari made the remarks on Saturday during a ceremony introducing the new governor of Khost province. He expressed hope that “the old lands of Afghanistan, which remain with them [Pakistan],” could one day be recovered, saying, “By the will of Allah, this land will return to us.”

Omari also criticised Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s comments at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt, where Sharif praised US President Donald Trump. “It is regrettable that such a person bears the name of a Muslim,” Omari said, accusing Pakistan’s government of acting “under Trump’s orders” rather than making independent decisions.

Addressing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Omari said the Taliban had hosted peace talks between Islamabad and the TTP in Khost and Kabul two years ago, but Pakistan “failed to accept the logical, religious, and legal demands” of the group.

He blamed the failure of those talks on opposition from certain figures, including Pakistani lawmaker Mohsin Dawar, who, he said, “did not want their positions weakened.”

Omari further claimed that the TTP neither entered Afghanistan during the Taliban’s rule nor receives any support from the group.

In a statement, the ministry said Pakistan does not seek to escalate tensions with the Taliban and that the purpose of the Doha talks is to find a peaceful solution to recent border clashes.

According to the statement, discussions in Doha will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory and on establishing peace and stability along the shared border.

Islamabad is urging the Taliban to honour their international commitments and address Pakistan’s security concerns through verifiable actions against militant groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatists.

The ministry also expressed gratitude to Qatar for hosting and mediating the talks. Earlier, Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Yaqub Mujahid and Intelligence Chief Abdul Haq Wasiq travelled to Doha to participate in the meeting.