ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire following intense border clashes and reports of Pakistani air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar.

Both Islamabad and Kabul claimed the other side requested the truce, which Pakistan said came into effect from 13:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The violence erupted after a series of explosions in Afghanistan last week that Kabul blamed on Pakistan.

Islamabad, in turn, accused the Taliban of sheltering militants responsible for cross-border attacks—an allegation the Taliban strongly denied.

According to a Taliban spokesman, Pakistani shelling killed at least 12 civilians and injured over 100 others.

Both sides also claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other, though none of the reports could be independently verified.

Tensions between the two neighbours have sharply escalated in recent months, with recurring border skirmishes and mutual accusations of harboring armed groups undermining fragile regional stability.