India firmly backed Afghanistan, saying it had a right to exercise sovereignty over its own territories.
Islamabad: Pakistan and the Taliban administration in Afghanistan agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire on October 15, following days of intense air and ground fighting that left more than a dozen civilians dead and around 100 wounded along the volatile frontier, as per the reports by Reuters.
Following the ceasefire, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan to resolve their conflict. "If they want to talk on our valid conditions and want to resolve through dialogue, we are ready for that," Sharif was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The renewed clashes marked the worst outbreak of violence between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, shattering a fragile peace maintained after weekend skirmishes.
In its first remarks on the week-long conflict, India firmly backed Afghanistan, saying it had a right to exercise sovereignty over its own territories. "We are closely monitoring the situation. Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. It is an old habit of Pakistan to put the blame on neighbors," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
