The most volatile story of the day unfolded across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where a fragile Eid ceasefire has been announced even as the two nations remain locked in a bitter confrontation over cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the government agreed to halt its operations from March 19 to March 23 “in good faith and in keeping with Islamic norms.” The pause comes in the wake of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which saw Pakistani airstrikes target Kabul and Nangarhar — including what Pakistan says was “Camp Phoenix,” a former US military base now used by Afghan Taliban forces. Afghanistan has disputed that account, claiming a drug rehabilitation centre was hit instead.
The conflict quickly drew in India, whose Ministry of External Affairs condemned Pakistan’s actions as a “direct threat” to regional peace and stability. Pakistan’s Foreign Office fired back, rejecting what it called a “baseless, misleading, and unwarranted statement.” The diplomatic crossfire underscores just how quickly a bilateral conflict can spiral into a broader regional crisis in South Asia.