Pakistan to keep borders closed until Kabul gives assurance on counterterrorism, says spokesperson Andrabi
Ansar M Bhatti/DNA
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi on Friday said that the Taliban regime’s lack of cooperation may be behind the delay in the visit of a high-level Turkiye delegation – scheduled to arrive in Islamabad last month to discuss tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan Taliban regime.
The planned visit was first disclosed earlier this month by Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku last month.
Turkiye Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Irfan Neziroglu, who had played an active role in facilitating the Istanbul trilateral talks on Afghanistan, had told the delegation visiting Pakistan will also be accompanied by the Turkish intelligence chief and important ministers.
During his weekly briefing, the FO spokesperson said the delay in the visit may also be due to scheduling issues. Andrabi said Pakistan will keep its border with Afghanistan closed until firm assurances are provided by Kabul that terrorists and violent elements will not enter Pakistan.
He said that the cross-border terrorism is not limited to TTP or TTA militants, adding that Afghan nationals are also involved in serious crimes inside Pakistan.
“The border closure should be understood in this broader security context,” Andrabi added.
On the reopening of the Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan on Thursday, the spokesperson clarified that the borders were reopened only for humanitarian aid.
Pakistan closed the Torkham and Chaman borders with Afghanistan on October 12 after the Afghan Taliban, in association with their affiliated militants, attacked multiple Pakistan Armed Forces posts along the border.
The border clashes between forces from the two countries began on the night between October 11 and 12 after the Afghan Taliban and militants launched unprovoked attacks against Pakistan’s border posts.
The resulting clashes led to the killing of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the motherland.
Pakistan also conducted “precision strikes” deep inside Afghanistan, targeting terrorists in Kandahar province and Kabul. A temporary 48-hour ceasefire was announced on October 15 at Afghanistan’s request.
The two sides eventually reached an official ceasefire agreement on October 19 in Qatar in talks mediated by Doha and Turkiye.
Under the deal, terrorism from Afghanistan on Pakistani soil will stop immediately with Islamabad and Kabul agreeing to establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries.
The two sides then held further talks in Turkiye which collapsed after Pakistan refused to accept the Taliban delegation’s “illogical” arguments and refusal to address Islamabad’s concerns regarding cross-border terrorism.
