Pakistan and Afghanistan have announced a temporary pause in fighting in view of Eid-ul-Fitr, and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, a day after the Afghan government accused Islamabad of killing 400 people in an attack on a rehabilitation hospital in Kabul.

In a social media post, Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar made the announcement, hours after his country carried out fresh attacks on alleged Taliban positions in the border region. In view of the upcoming Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, upon its own initiative as well as on the request from the brotherly Islamic countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, Pakistan has decided to announce a temporary pause amidst ongoing Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq.

Hours later, Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, the security and defence forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, announced the temporary suspension of the defensive operations. He, however, said that Kabul will respond courageously to any aggression in the event of a threat.