Operation Ghazab Lil Haq temporarily paused on request of Saudi, Qatar and Turkiye in view of Eidul Fitr: Tarar | The Express Tribune

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday announced a “temporary pause” in Operation Ghazab Lil Haq against the Afghan Taliban and terrorists in the neighbouring country on request of mediating countries and the upcoming Eidul Fitr holidays.

“In view of the upcoming Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, and upon its own initiative as well as at the request of brotherly Islamic countries — the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye,” Tarar said in a post on X.

He said the Government of Pakistan had decided to announce a temporary pause in the ongoing “Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq” against terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan.

“The pause shall be applicable from midnight March 18/19, 2026, to midnight March 23/24, 2026,” he added.

The minister said Pakistan was offering the gesture in good faith and in keeping with Islamic norms, adding that in the event of any cross-border attack, the operation would be resumed.

“In case of any cross-border attack, drone strike or any terrorist incident inside Pakistan, ‘Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq’ shall immediately resume with renewed intensity,” he concluded.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched last month following renewed clashes along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

The neighbouring countries have been engaged in escalating hostilities along the frontier since then. The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to earlier Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions.