Friday, 17 October, 2025 23 Rabius Sani, 1447
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 100 | 8 Pages Lahore Edition
‘BALL IS IN KABUL’S COURT’ AS ISLAMABAD SIGNALS READINESS FOR ‘CONDITIONAL DIALOGUE’: PM
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PREMIER SHEHBAZ g LAUDS ARMY, COAS FOR EMPHASIZES TRUCE ‘NECESSARY’ RESPONSE TO AFGHAN MUST REST ON ‘SOLID AGGRESSION, SAYING QATAR, DEMANDS’, NOT ALLIES MAKING EFFORTS TO DEFUSE TACTICAL PAUSES ISLAMABAD-KABUL TENSIONS
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WELCOMES GAZA CEASEFIRE, HAILS ROLE OF MUSLIM NATIONS, US ISLAMABAD
Staff report
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan was ready for dialogue if Kabul agreed to fulfill Islamabad’s “justified” conditions following the recent hostilities between the two neighbours, stressing that any future ceasefire must rest on “solid demands” rather than tactical pauses. “The ceasefire should be maintained on the basis of solid demands—but if it is merely to buy time, we won’t accept it,” the premier warned while addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed on Wednesday to a temporary ceasefire after a fresh spell of deadly cross-border clashes that threatened to spiral into a wider conflict. The Foreign Office (FO) said the truce, which took effect at 6pm local time on October 15 for 48 hours, was implemented at the Taliban regime’s request and with mutual consent. The prime minister told the cabinet that the Afghan side had “formally requested” the ceasefire. “Yesterday we decided the 48-hour truce and conveyed that if they want to fulfil our justified conditions through talks, we are ready.
pakistan will be ‘constrained to a decisive response’ if ceasefire violated, warns asif ISLAMABAD
Staff report
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday warned that Pakistan would be compelled to respond if Afghanistan violated the 48-hour ceasefire currently in effect since 6pm on Wednesday—an arrangement reached at Kabul’s request. Speaking to a private television channel, Mr Asif alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime was
“effectively serving India’s interests” and fighting a “proxy war” on its behalf. He said the government in Kabul had shown “no genuine intent for peace,” adding, “The tanks Afghanistan is displaying do not even exist in our arsenal. It is beyond comprehension why they are making such false claims—I don’t know which junkyard they acquired those tanks from.”
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China backs lasting truce between pakistan and afghanistan BEIJING
Staff report
China on Thursday urged both Pakistan and Afghanistan to exercise restraint and work toward a “full and lasting ceasefire,” following the two neighbours’ agreement to a 48-hour truce after days of intense border clashes.
“China supports countries in exercising restraint and realising a full and lasting ceasefire,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing in Beijing. “We stand ready to continue to play a constructive role for the sustained improvement of relations between the two countries.”
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