A fragile truce between Pakistan and Afghanistan is set to expire, raising fears of a return to active conflict. Cross-border violence escalated last week, with both sides claiming they were responding to armed provocations from the other.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.66 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border on Friday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The depth of the earthquake was 10 km, GFZ said.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday after airstrikes and ground fighting ramped up tensions between the South Asian neighbours, leaving more than a dozen civilians dead and 100 wounded.

While both Pakistan and Afghanistan have claimed the other blinked first, videos of Taliban fighters displaying trousers, allegedly of Pakistani soldiers who fled their posts, have ensured that Afghanistan is atleast winning the narrative war on social media.

Regional analysts say Noor Wali Mehsud is a 'theorist' and also a 'battlefield commander'. He aims to overthrow the Pakistani government and accuses it of betraying the traditions of the tribals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

By Asif Shahzad KABUL / ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan to resolve their conflict, as a temporary ceasefire that halted days of fierce fighting between the former allies largely held.