The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday said that the temporary pause in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban had concluded and the operation would continue “until its objectives are achieved”.

FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the remarks while answering questions during his weekly press briefing regarding whether the pause had been extended.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of Feb 26 following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban.

“Operation Gazab Lil-Haq is ongoing. It is a precise, targeted operation, military campaign directed against terrorist leadership and their support and command, infrastructure, logistics, logistic networks and facilitators and abettors of these terrorist acts within the Taliban regime and in the Taliban controlled area,” he said.

Andrabi said that a temporary pause was observed in “deferrence to Eidul Fitr celebrations and in response to requests from our brotherly Islamic countries”.

“The pause has concluded [on] midnight between, I think, March 23 and 24. So, operations under Operation Gazab Lil Haq continue now until the objectives are achieved, and until the Afghan Taliban regime reviews its misplaced priority of supporting terror infrastructures and terror proxies over the welfare of their own Afghan people. So, our position is anchored in this broad policy statement,” he said.

On March 18, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had announced that Pakistan had decided on a “temporary pause” in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in view of Eidul Fitr and “at the request of brotherly Islamic countries”.

At the time, he said that Pakistan had offered the gesture in good faith and in keeping with Islamic norms.

Shortly after the announcement, the Afghan Taliban also declared a temporary suspension of their military operations against Pakistan. Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also said the decision was taken in response to requests from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar.

Earlier this week, a group of clerics from Pakistan and Afghanistan had appealed to the authorities on both sides to extend the pause in hostilities to Eidul Azha.

There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

Torkham crossing reopened for return of Afghan nationals

Meanwhile, the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reopened on Thursday for the return of stranded and illegal Afghan nationals after remaining closed since February 26.

Officials at the temporary transit centre established near Hamza Baba mausoleum in Landi Kotal said that as many as 50 Afghans, awaiting their deportation since the last week of February, were the first to undergo the clearance process after they received a green signal from Islamabad for resumption of the registration process.

They said all 50 Afghan nationals were lodged at a mosque in Landi Kotal bazaar since Feb 26 and they were brought to the center on Thursday morning after permission for registration was granted by the interior ministry.

They added that another batch of around 100 Afghans was also brought to the centre from Peshawar after the clearance of the first batch, with immigration authorities facilitating their prompt deportation both at the temporary transit center and at Torkham.

Officials said that some stranded families whose travel documents had expired or were without visas and passports were also allowed to go back to Afghanistan after the completion of their registration at the transit centre.

They further informed that names and related particulars of Pakistani nationals were also handed over to border security officials for their safe return after officials held a brief meeting with their Afghan counterparts at the border Zero Point.