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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday described its recent border clashes with Afghanistan as a bilateral issue and applauded ��������’s stance during the conflict, which it said called for stability and de-escalation in the region.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent years, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering fighters from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), allowing them to stage cross-border attacks from Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegations, saying it does not permit its territory to be used against other countries.

Sporadic clashes between the two countries began last Saturday night, killing dozens of people on both sides before the two reached a 48-hour truce on Wednesday that ended Friday afternoon.

“Pakistan and the Kingdom of �������� are longtime close allies and partners who are committed to each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said during his weekly media briefing. “In this context, we are fully confident of each other’s position.”

“The recently concluded SMDA [Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement] is a manifestation of this mutual understanding,” he continued. “We also appreciate the Kingdom’s traditional diplomatic approach, which emphasizes stability and de-escalation in the region.”

The Foreign Office said earlier in the week that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a telephone call from his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, adding that the Saudi minister appreciated Islamabad’s commitment to peace and security and emphasized the importance of collective efforts for stability.

In an earlier statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday, the Kingdom voiced concern over rising tensions along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and called on all parties to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and adopt dialogue and wisdom to ease tensions and preserve the security and stability of the region.

Pakistan and �������� signed the defense pact in Riyadh on Sept. 18, cementing decades-old security ties into a formal agreement. The deal, signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to ��������, stipulated that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said the border situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a bilateral issue, adding that Pakistan had the “capacity to deal with it, resolve it and address it.”

“��������’s balanced stance complements regional efforts to avoid escalation and promote peace while our strategic partnership endures and continues,” he said.

PESHAWAR: At least six Pakistani soldiers and six militants were killed in a suicide attack near the country’s border with Afghanistan, a police official said on Friday, amid a fragile ceasefire between Islamabad and Kabul that paused days of intense fighting between the two countries this month.

The South Asian neighbors engaged in fierce ground fighting, and Pakistan also launched airstrikes across their contested frontier, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, before they reached a 48-hour truce that is due to end at 1300 GMT on Friday.

The soldiers were killed after one of the militants rammed an explosives-laden car into the Khadi fort that served as a military camp in the North Waziristan district, followed by an intense gunbattle between the two sides.

“Security forces swiftly responded, repelling the attack and engaging the terrorists in a fierce battle. Sadly, six security personnel were martyred and over a dozen others sustained injuries,” Meraj Khan, an officer at the Mir Ali police control room, told Arab News.

“Security forces managed to kill six terrorists during the confrontation.”

Khan said the area has been cordoned off and a clearance operation is currently underway to eliminate any potential threats. Pakistan’s army did not immediately comment on the attack.

Militant violence in Pakistan has been a major irritant in its relations with Afghanistan, since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul after the departure of US-led forces in 2021.

Pakistani security forces have killed 88 Pakistani Taliban militants in separate engagements in the last two days, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.

The latest conflict between the two countries was triggered after Islamabad demanded Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan “retaliated” as it lost patience with Afghanistan following a series of militant attacks, but was ready to hold talks to resolve the conflict.

Kabul denies the charge and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions, and sheltering Daesh-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty.

Islamabad denies the accusations.

Although the two countries have clashed in the past, the fighting this month is their worst in decades. It has drawn the attention of �������� and Qatar, who have mediated and sought to stop the fighting.