Eid Ceasefire Expires; Cross-Border Shelling Resumes Within Minutes

The five-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan expired at midnight on March 24. Within minutes of expiry, Pakistani artillery fired dozens of shells into Afghanistan's Kunar province, striking the Narai and Sarkano districts. Afghan Taliban officials said the renewed shelling killed at least two civilians and wounded eight others. Afghan border forces returned fire, claiming they destroyed three Pakistani military posts and killed one person — claims Pakistan's military did not immediately acknowledge. A local Pakistani official in the northwest accused Afghan forces of initiating the exchange, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the ceasefire 'remains intact' on Pakistan's side as long as the other side does not resume hostilities, a position Afghan officials rejected as contradictory to the artillery fire.