Pakistani delegation expected in Kabul Tuesday

Pakistani media have reported that a high-level delegation from Islamabad will travel to Kabul on Tuesday for talks focused on security, trade, and the recent ceasefire agreement with the Taliban.

The visit comes after Pakistan and the Taliban signed an immediate ceasefire deal Saturday evening, following Qatar- and Turkey-mediated negotiations in Doha aimed at de-escalating tensions after deadly border clashes.

According to reports, the delegation is expected to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire, cross-border trade disruptions, and the “One Document Regime,” which aims to streamline travel across shared border points such as Torkham and Spin Boldak.

While Pakistani officials have said the trip was pre-planned, its timing has sparked speculation about efforts to solidify the fragile truce and restore trade and security cooperation between the two sides. Key commercial border crossings were closed for over a week amid recent hostilities, severely affecting traders and transporters on both sides.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has called the ceasefire “a new chapter in regional peace,” adding that both sides are set to meet again in Istanbul on October 25 to further build on the agreement. He emphasized that mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference would form the foundation of ongoing discussions.

The ceasefire agreement includes commitments from both sides not to support opposition groups and to prevent the use of their territories for attacks against one another.

Analysts say the talks could lay the groundwork for long-term cooperation, but obstacles remain. Pakistan has long accused the Taliban of harboring militants from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban deny supporting such groups and argue that there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism.