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Russia offers to mediate Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions
Zakharova noted that Pakistan and the IEA are important partners for Russia, and a mediated process could pave the way for long-term stability.
Russia has offered to mediate between Pakistan and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to help ease rising border tensions.The proposal was announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who said regional stability remains a key priority for Russia and the international community. She urged both sides to show restraint and resolve their disputes through dialogue.
Zakharova noted that Pakistan and the IEA are important partners for Russia, and a mediated process could pave the way for long-term stability. Moscow’s offer follows earlier mediation efforts by Qatar and Turkey, which had led to a temporary ceasefire before recent talks in Istanbul failed to produce tangible results.
Warning that continued tensions threaten broader regional security, Zakharova called on both countries to stay engaged in negotiations and avoid steps that could intensify the situation. Dialogue, she stressed, remains the only sustainable path forward.
Russia’s announcement comes as other regional powers make similar overtures. Iran’s foreign minister recently voiced concern and offered to facilitate talks, while Turkey is preparing to dispatch a high-level delegation to Pakistan for further discussions.
Analysts say Russia’s entry into the mediation efforts could inject new momentum into the stalled process. With multiple international actors now offering support, Pakistan and Afghanistan may have more space to move toward a peaceful resolution.
The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid announced on Wednesday that the security and defense forces of the Islamic Emirate will temporarily halt the “Rad al-Zulm” defensive operation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and also at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar.
Zabiullah Mujahid said in a post on X: “The Islamic Emirate, while appreciating the goodwill of friendly and mediating countries, emphasizes that maintaining Afghanistan’s national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of Afghan lives is its national and religious duty, and it will bravely respond to any aggression in case of a threat.”
Meanwhile, Ataullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, also announced that Pakistan has temporarily suspended its attacks on Afghanistan for Eid al-Fitr at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey.
A UN official told Reuters on Wednesday that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) estimated the number of victims of the bombing of Kabul’s Omid hospital by Pakistan at 143 dead.
However, health officials in Afghanistan had earlier reported that the attack killed more than 400 people and injured 265.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has accused Pakistan of trying to create “anarchy and weakness” in Afghanistan, following a deadly airstrike on Kabul.
In an interview with UK’s Sky News, Karzai said Islamabad’s policies were aimed at keeping Afghanistan unstable and “downtrodden,” warning that such an approach would harm both countries.
He condemned the recent strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, which Afghan officials say killed around 400 people, describing it as an “extremely unfortunate event” in the history of relations between the two neighbours.
Karzai said he personally heard the explosion, describing a “horrific sound” that shook his home and filled the surrounding area with smoke and dust.
The former leader, who governed Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, said tensions between the two countries are longstanding, claiming Pakistan has struggled to maintain stable relations with successive Afghan governments.
He urged Pakistani leaders to change course and pursue a more constructive relationship, saying past strategies of interference and destabilisation had failed and would not succeed in the future.
Fighting between the two countries has intensified since late February, when Pakistan launched airstrikes it says targeted militant infrastructure. The United Nations estimates the violence has displaced more than 100,000 people.
Pakistan has denied targeting civilians, insisting its operations were aimed at militant sites and accusing Kabul of spreading “misleading” claims to deflect from alleged cross-Durand Line threats.
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