After a week of deadly clashes, hope returns as Afghanistan and Pakistan agree on new ceasefire to revive border trade, bringing cautious optimism among residents living along the tense frontier. Following days of gunfire and destruction, the latest ceasefire has allowed locals to resume normal life, with shops reopening, bakers kneading bread, and vendors setting up fruit and vegetable stalls once again.
“People can finally breathe,” said Sadiq Shah, a 56-year-old shopkeeper from Baizai on the Pakistani side. “Before this, gunfire had damaged houses in our village.” Fighting erupted after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban blamed on Pakistan. In response, both sides exchanged heavy fire across the border, leaving soldiers and civilians dead. Islamabad launched strikes targeting militant groups allegedly sheltered by the Taliban, before both countries agreed to an initial 48-hour truce, later extended to a longer ceasefire agreement.
The new ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan has revived hopes for restoring cross-border trade — a crucial economic lifeline for thousands. In the border towns of Torkham and Spin Boldak, however, the crossings remain closed, stranding over 1,500 trucks loaded with cement, rice, medicines, and other essential goods. Afghan officials warned that fruits and vegetables awaiting export are rotting, while traders on both sides suffer heavy financial losses.
“Businessmen are losing money, and if this continues, prices and unemployment will rise,” said Taliban economy ministry spokesman Abdul Rahman Habib. “Trade relations should be separate from political issues.”
In the Afghan town of Spin Boldak, where clashes erupted last week, residents expressed gratitude for the ceasefire. “Everyone here depends on cross-border trade. We want peace so people can earn their livelihood again,” said car dealer Niaz Mohammed Akhund.
Doha’s foreign ministry confirmed that peace talks between the two countries helped finalize the agreement, mentioning that the ceasefire includes mechanisms for long-term stability, though details remain undisclosed. Across the border in Pakistan, workers and traders echoed similar sentiments, urging both nations to “start treating each other like brothers” and build a sustainable peace mechanism to end recurring conflicts.