New Delhi, Oct 12: Preparations are under way for a major international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday, aimed at ending the war in Gaza and promoting long-term peace and stability across the West Asia or Middle East. The summit will be co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, international media reported.

More than 20 heads of state and international leaders are expected to attend, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, European Council President Antonio Costa, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, reports international media.

According to The Indian Express, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been invited by Presidents Trump and el-Sisi to join the high-level summit. The invitation was reportedly extended at the last minute on Saturday, but the Prime Minister’s Office has not yet confirmed his participation or if he has received the invitation. If he attends, it would mark India’s first direct engagement in a multilateral peace initiative on the Gaza conflict, underlining New Delhi’s growing diplomatic profile in West Asia.

The meeting will focus on implementing a US-brokered peace plan designed to end hostilities between Israel and Hamas, initiate a phased ceasefire, and lay the groundwork for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The first phase of the ceasefire is set to begin on the same day, with the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has announced it will not participate directly in the summit, noting that it has engaged primarily through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attendance also remains uncertain.

Under the proposed plan, Israeli forces will begin a phased withdrawal from Gaza’s urban areas, to be replaced by a multinational peacekeeping contingent from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The transition will be coordinated through a US-led command centre based in Israel.

Ahead of the summit, senior US officials, including Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, visited Gaza to review the situation. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have started returning to their homes amid a fragile ceasefire, as Israeli troops partially withdrew under the first stage of the agreement.

The Sharm el-Sheikh summit is being viewed as one of the most significant diplomatic gatherings in recent years, with world leaders expected to endorse a 20-point roadmap for peace, security, and reconstruction, a plan that, for the first time, outlines a clear pathway toward the creation of a Palestinian state. If India confirms participation, it would signal New Delhi’s intent to play a more visible role in shaping regional peace efforts.

New Delhi, Oct 12: Afganistan wants peaceful resolution of its conflict with Pakistan but if the efforts don’t succeed, it has other means, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday.

Muttaqi’s comments at a media briefing at the Afghan embassy came amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan carried out air strikes in Kabul on Thursday, and it followed clashes between the two sides.

Muttaqi said the situation is under control now.

“We want a peaceful resolution of the situation, but if the peace efforts don’t succeed, we have other options,” the Afghan foreign minister said.

“We have good relations with the people of Pakistan and the government but some elements in that country are trying to create problems,” he said.

Islamabad, Oct 12: Pakistan responded to what it called “unprovoked” attacks by Afghan forces in border areas, destroying several Afghan border posts, training camps, and terrorist hideouts, security sources said on Sunday.

The Taliban government’s Defence Ministry confirmed the attacks early Sunday, saying that its forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations”.

“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry said.

Afghan forces targeted Pakistani posts at Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baramcha in Balochistan.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks on border posts “unprovoked”, accusing them of firing at civilians.

“Firing by Afghan forces on the civilian population is a blatant violation of international laws. Pakistan’s brave forces have given a prompt and effective response that no provocation will be tolerated,” he said.

He said Pakistan’s forces are alert, and Afghanistan is being answered with “stones for bricks”.

The situation deteriorated between the two neighbours following repeated terrorist attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allegedly using the Afghan soil, including one in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district last week, which claimed the lives of 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major.

On Thursday night, explosions were reported from the Afghan capital. Kabul blamed Islamabad for the attacks, but the Pakistani army refused to confirm or deny its involvement.

Apparently prompted by the Kabul strikes, the Afghan security forces targeted attacks against Pakistan on Saturday night.

Pakistan launched its retaliatory response early Sunday, hitting several border areas and destroying border posts, the state media reported.

There was no official statement or comments from the Pakistan Army on the development.

However, security sources confirmed that Pakistani forces deployed at the international border “targeted several Afghan border posts”, adding that there were reports of significant damage inflicted on multiple Afghan posts and militant formations.

They said “several Afghan soldiers were killed” and militant formations were forced to retreat due to the “effective and intense retaliation by Pakistani forces”.

Artillery, tanks, light and heavy weapons were used in the retaliatory action, along with air resources and drones, said the sources.

They added that Afghan posts failed to provide covering fire to the militants, and there are reports of “heavy losses” among Afghan border posts and militants.

“Kharijites and Daesh hideouts inside Afghanistan, operating under the patronage of the interim Afghan government, are being effectively targeted…The headquarters of Afghan forces, which have been sheltering Daesh and Fitna al-Khawarij, are also being targeted,” they said.

The Pakistan government last year notified the banned TTP as “Fitna al-Khawarij”, a reference to a group in earlier Islamic history which was involved in violence.

In a series of posts on social media, state-run PTV News shared videos of firing on the Afghan posts, some of which were in flames, and in one video, Afghan soldiers surrendering to Pakistani forces in Kurram.

The state broadcaster issued the following statement quoting security sources: “Unprovoked firing from the Afghan side at Pak-Afghan border, a strong, intense response from Pakistan Army.”

It said Pakistan was currently “targeting terrorist camps and hideouts of khawarij, ISIS located near the Pak-Afghan border inside Afghanistan with great precision. Afghan forces have retreated from several areas”.

State-run Radio Pakistan also shared footage of what it said were “kharjis and Afghan soldiers being taken out”.

Sources said that Pakistani posts also came under attack in the Baramcha area of Chagai district in Balochistan, and where “Afghan forces opened indiscriminate fire at Pakistani border posts with heavy weapons late on Saturday night”.

Pakistan responded to the attacks when the Afghan forces tried to infiltrate into Pishin and Zhob districts and foiled their attempts, according to sources.

The fighting between the two countries came as Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was visiting India.