22 Afghan-Pakistani Clerics Jointly Urge Ceasefire Extension; Truce Ends at Midnight

On the final day of the five-day Eid ceasefire, a joint statement signed by 22 prominent religious clerics — 11 Pakistani and 11 Afghan — was released in Pashto urging both governments to extend the ceasefire and achieve a 'sustainable and dignified' end to the conflict. The clerics called for negotiations and warned that continued fighting would bring catastrophe to both Muslim nations. The statement represented a rare instance of cross-border religious consensus. Despite the appeal, Pakistan's government made no announcement of an extension. The ceasefire expired at midnight between March 23 and 24, with Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi later confirming the pause 'has concluded midnight between, I think, 23rd and 24th March.' Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey — who brokered the original truce — were monitoring the situation but had not announced a new mediation framework.