What happened
The Foreign Office said on 26 March 2026 that the temporary pause in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban had concluded and that the military campaign would continue “until its objectives are achieved”.
FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told his weekly press briefing in Islamabad that the pause had been observed “in deference to Eidul Fitr celebrations and in response to requests from our brotherly Islamic countries”, and that it ended at midnight between 23 and 24 March. He described the operation as a “precise, targeted” campaign directed against terrorist leadership, command, infrastructure, logistics and facilitators inside Taliban-controlled territory, Dawn and Pakistan Today reported.
The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened the same day for the return of stranded and undocumented Afghan nationals after being closed since 26 February.
Why it matters
Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of 26 February following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. Fighting before the pause included Pakistani strikes on Kandahar after Taliban drone attacks and strikes on Taliban military sites in Kabul and Nangarhar. On 18 March Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had announced a temporary pause for Eidul Fitr and at the request of friendly Islamic states. The Afghan Taliban shortly afterwards declared a suspension of their own operations; their spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the decision came in response to requests from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar.
At Torkham, officials at a temporary transit centre near the Hamza Baba mausoleum in Landi Kotal said a first batch of about 50 Afghans who had been lodged at a mosque in Landi Kotal bazaar since 26 February underwent registration and clearance, followed by another group of about 100 brought from Peshawar. Immigration authorities facilitated their return, and families whose travel documents had expired were allowed to cross after registration. Officials also handed the particulars of Pakistani nationals to border security personnel to ensure their safe return.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration of harbouring militants, particularly the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and says its appeals to dismantle those sanctuaries have gone unheeded — the stated rationale for the campaign.
What is still uncertain
Authorities did not say how long the Torkham crossing would remain open, describing it as a temporary arrangement subject to the security situation. A group of clerics from both countries had appealed earlier in the week for the pause to be extended to Eidul Azha, but the Foreign Office confirmed the halt had already ended on the night of 23-24 March. It remains unclear whether the resumed campaign will affect the repatriation process or any further talks.
