Torkham border crossing closed for 2nd day after clashes between border forces

[epebble]

Taliban are just thinly veiled Afghan nationalists and chauvinists, giving authoritarian level of power to them is like handing over the keys to your house to a well-known robber. If you get the point to my analogy.

Expect significantly high demographic changes if this was to happen, whole of Balochistan, Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore would get filled with imported Pashtuns that likely treat others like shit, causing internal issues.

Of course, a union like this can only be arrived at after much thought. Along with many plusses there will also be many minuses. When West Germany unified with East Germany, there was a huge economic impact on West Germany. Since they had much higher income, they ended up paying higher taxes. Even now, Germans pay more taxes towards EU government compared to, say, Portuguese. But the Germans still like to be in union with poorer countries like Portugal and Greece.

 

[ghazi52]

,.,.,.

Torkham border closure: FO says Pakistan expects Kabul to respect its territorial integrity​

In response to Afghan statement on border closure, FO says Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures inside its territory.

September 11, 2023

In a rejoinder to the Afghan government’s statement on the closure of the Torkham border, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that Islamabad expected Kabul to respect its territorial integrity and ensure Afghan soil is not used to launch militant attacks in Pakistan.

The Torkham border was closed on September 6 after at least two people, including a Frontier Corps (FC) official, were injured when a gun battle erupted between Pakistan and Afghan border forces.

Officials in Pakistan blamed the other side for starting the midday firefight, which lasted for around two hours and came after the Afghan authorities started building a checkpoint on their side in a prohibited area, close to the main border crossing.

Officials said the Afghan authorities already had a checkpoint, commonly known as the Larram Post, in the vicinity, but they started building another post over a small hill without discussing it with the Pakistani side.

A day earlier, a meeting between Pakistani and Afghan border security officials to reach an agreement over the reopening of the border remained inconclusive.

At the same time, however, a statement issued by the Afghan foreign ministry expressed concern over the closure of Torkham gate and termed it contrary to the values of a “good neighbour”.

 

[Yawm al-qiyāma]

I remember some many years ago when Turkiye supported Ozbek General Dostum the Pakistanis on here didnt like it. Turns out Turkiye did the right thing. Dostum is still together with TR he can be activated if TR decides so.

 

[maithil]

Who suffers more ? Pakistan or, Afghanistan? Because of this border closing ..

 

[Jango]

Yeh din agaye hain keh ab Afghan bhi hamain economy par tarriyan mar rahay hain. O kuch to sharam kar lo ab beghairto, haramio, kanjaro. Sahi mulk kay L lagaye hain, what an embarrassment we are sometimes honestly, both on the internal and external front.

Torkham border closure: FO says Pakistan expects Kabul to respect its territorial integrity

In response to Afghan statement on border closure, FO says Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures inside its territory.

www.dawn.com

 

[Olympus81]

Yeh din agaye hain keh ab Afghan bhi hamain economy par tarriyan mar rahay hain. O kuch to sharam kar lo ab beghairto, haramio, kanjaro. Sahi mulk kay L lagaye hain, what an embarrassment we are sometimes honestly, both on the internal and external front.

View attachment 952763

Torkham border closure: FO says Pakistan expects Kabul to respect its territorial integrity

In response to Afghan statement on border closure, FO says Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures inside its territory.

www.dawn.com

Depressing ain’t it.

I am taking a break from the forum for a few weeks.

 

[NooriNuth]

Taliban being completely useless at anything other than war, feel the need to keep starting new wars to show performance. Because they have zero performance in anything else.
A big slip on all those cheering when Taliban took over Afghanistan.
I rather trust Soviets or Americans than منافق Taliban

 

[hussain0216]

Who suffers more ? Pakistan or, Afghanistan? Because of this border closing ..

Afghanistan and the Afghan idiots who use it

We actually need the border completely closed for a number of months to control a range of issues from snuggling to terrorism

 

[Goritoes]

Closing border won't help, drop 100 nukes on Afghanistan and round up every Pashtoon and put them in re-educational camps for 2 Generations, only solution to make these people human or sort of humans.

 

[ghazi52]

Pak blames Taliban's 'illegal' construction for Torkham border closure​

FO says Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing instead of peacefully resolving matter

Kamran Yousaf
September 11, 2023

Afghan people enter Pakistan via Torkham border which was closed due to instalation of fences. PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD: In a detailed response to the Torkham border closure, Pakistan on Monday accused Afghanistan of construction of a new structure on its territory, leading to an exchange of fire and subsequent closure of the key border crossing on September 6.

The Foreign Office (FO) also responded to the statement of the Afghan Taliban on the border closure, which according to Pakistan doesn't depict the actual picture.

“The statement of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs comes as a surprise as the Interim Afghan authorities know fully well the reasons for the temporary closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham," FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

She said Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures by the interim Afghan government inside its territory since these violate its sovereignty.

Providing further details, the spokesperson said on September 6 that instead of a peaceful resolution, Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, targeting Pakistan military posts, damaging the infrastructure at the Torkham Border Terminal and putting the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan civilians at risk, when they were stopped from erecting such unlawful structures.

"Such unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Pakistani border posts cannot be justified under any circumstances," she added. The unprovoked firing by Afghan border security forces invariably emboldened the terrorist elements, she maintained.

"These elements are enjoying sanctuaries inside Afghanistan as confirmed by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team in its latest report."

"We have always said that we wish the border with Afghanistan to be a border of peace and amity between the two countries. We have welcomed our Afghan brothers and sisters with open arms for decades. Pakistan has continued to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue in the face of persistent unwarranted provocations by Afghan troops deployed along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border."
She said temporary closures take place only in extreme cases, such as, the September 6 incident on the border or when Afghan soil was used to launch terror attacks inside Pakistan.
Read More FO calls for 'global attention' on US arms left in Afghanistan
Baloch said the statement of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs also includes some irrelevant comments and unsolicited advice about Pakistan’s economy and foreign trade.
"For the last several decades, Pakistan has facilitated Afghan transit trade and will continue to do so. However, Pakistan cannot allow the misuse of the transit trade agreement."
The spokesperson said Pakistan stands ready to resolve all bilateral issues and concerns through constructive dialogue so that both countries can reap the dividends of economic connectivity and resultant prosperity.
"We expect the Afghan interim authorities to be mindful of Pakistan’s concerns, respect the territorial integrity of Pakistan and ensure that the Afghan territory is not used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.”

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

Pak is showing few of her teeth. A good job...

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,

Torkham border crossing at standstill as hundreds of trucks, travellers suffer​

1,300 vehicles, including trucks and trailers await the border to re-open

AFP
September 12, 2023

Hundreds of trucks and travellers were stranded on Tuesday on the main point of transit for travellers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan, Torkham border crossing, a week after a gunfight erupted between the security forces of both countries.

Since then Islamabad and Kabul have been in diplomatic deadlock as each blamed the other for firing the first salvo last Wednesday, souring already poor relations between Islamabad and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.

The Pakistan side of the border -- usually bustling with pedestrian and truck traffic -- was abandoned on Monday, with markets and offices shut and crowds of travellers sheltering in nearby mosques.

The country is in the grip of an economic downturn, while Afghanistan is still reeling from the mass withdrawal of foreign aid in response to the Taliban's return to government two years ago.

Jamal Nasir, deputy commissioner of Khyber district, said 1,300 vehicles, including trucks and trailers, were sitting idle waiting for the international trade hub to reopen.

"Fruit and vegetable trucks have been turned back because their cargo was either rotten or feared to rot," he told AFP.

Ghani Gul, a 55-year-old Afghan, was still stranded in Pakistan six days after attempting to return home after receiving medical treatment in Peshawar.

"I am stuck here, and I have no money left," he said. "Why should I suffer from the border closure? Both countries should do what they want, but at least leave the border open for common people."

On the Afghan side, officials and residents staged a small protest on Monday, marching towards the closed border gates.

Pakistan was one of only three nations to grant formal recognition to the previous Taliban government of 1996-2001.

This time Pakistan, like all others, has withheld recognition. Diplomatic ties have also frayed over frequent flare-ups along their border, including sporadic gunfights and crossing closures.

Islamabad also complains Kabul is failing to secure its frontier -- a colonial-era demarcation that every Afghan government has disputed -- allowing terrorists to cross and strike on Pakistan's soil.

There was an increase in attacks of almost 80 per cent in the first half of 2023 compared to last year, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

The United Nations Security Council has said the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the largest threat to Islamabad, is considered by Kabul to be part of their state and given "safe haven and material and logistical assistance".

Afghan authorities have repeatedly denied the allegations.

The Pakistan foreign ministry said on Monday that "unprovoked firing by Afghan border security forces invariably emboldens the terrorist elements".

"Pakistan has continued to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue in the face of persistent, unwarranted provocations by Afghan troops deployed along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border," said spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

The Taliban government's foreign ministry said at the weekend Pakistan's alleged attack on its border guards was "contrary to good neighbourliness".

"The closure of the gate cannot be justified under any circumstances," a statement said.

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,.

Torkam border set to reopen on Friday​

At eight o'clock, the gate will be open as usual for transit and passengers, says in charge of Torkham border affairs

Shahabullah
14, 2023

Drivers along with a boy drink tea next to trucks parked along a road near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham. PHOTO: AFP

The Torkham border crossing, a vital conduit for trade and human traffic between Afghanistan and Pakistan, is set to resume regular operations from Friday, following an eight-day suspension.

The border crossing was closed after Pakistan accused Afghanistan of construction of a new structure on its territory, leading to an exchange of fire between the security forces of the two countries.

As a result of the closure, hundreds of trucks and travellers were stranded on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country and relies on a transit trade agreement with Pakistan to do trade with the outside world.

Asmat Ullah Yaqub, the person in charge of Torkham border affairs, confirmed to The Express Tribune about the reopening of the crossing. "At eight o'clock tomorrow, the gate will be open as usual for transit and passengers,” he stated.

Sources revealed that Islamabad had conditioned the reopening on the withdrawal of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants from the Chitral district.

Reports from sources on the ground indicate that the TTP has completely withdrawn from the border areas following the incursion of the Kabul regime.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had said that the border closure was temporary and some development would take place in the coming days.

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

Keep it closed to bring the senses back into the Taliban leaders. They need to be shown their places...

 

[ghazi52]

,.,.,.

Torkham border reopens for traffic after eight-day closure​

Stringent security measures are in place, say border officials

Our CorrespondentS
eptember 15, 2023

Traffic resumed along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham on Friday after an eight-day suspension amid escalating tensions. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

LANDI KOTAL: The Torkham border crossing, a vital conduit for trade and human traffic between Pakistan and Afghanistan, reopened on Friday after an eight-day suspension.

Vehicular and foot traffic resumed as tensions subsided between the Pakistan Army and Afghan forces over the construction of an "illegal" checkpost by the latter.

Border officials confirmed that vehicles are being allowed to move across the neighboring countries after clearance, reported Express News.
People stranded on either side of the border during the eight-day suspension were also permitted to crossover after strict inspection.

Stringent security measures have been set in place before allowing entry, according to border officials.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country and relies on a transit trade agreement with Pakistan to do business with the outside world.

Sources told The Express Tribune that Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had a key role to play in the reopening of the crossing point between the two countries.

Reopening of the Torkham border was conditioned by Islamabad with the withdrawal of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Chitral, according to sources privy to the development.

On September 6, 2023, the same day that the border was closed and a gun battle ensued between Pakistan and Afghan forces, at least four soldiers were martyred and 12 TTP terrorists were killed in clashes in Chitral.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said a large group of “terrorists equipped with the latest weapons” attacked two military check posts in the Chitral district in the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, resulting in an “intense exchange of fire”.

The military’s media wing said the attacks were coordinated from the Kunar and Nuristan provinces of neighbouring Afghanistan and a combing operation was underway.

“Owing to heightened threat environment, Pakistan’s own posts were already on high alert,” it said, adding that the Taliban administration in Afghanistan is “expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan”.

The sources said after the intervention of the Kabul regime, the TTP had completely withdrawn from the border areas while Islamabad sought assurances that such attacks would not happen in the future.