Pakistan

Pak-Afghan border remains shut for seventh day

Afghan officials urge early reopening of the Chaman border

Our Correspondent August 26, 2016

Pakistani and Afghan paramilitary soldiers stand across the closed Friendship Gate at the Chaman border. PHOTO: INP

QUETTA: Talks between Pakistani and Afghan border officials on the reopening of the Chaman border ended inconclusively on Thursday after another impasse-hit flag meeting at the Friendship Gate.

The Pak-Afghan border has been closed for the last seven days, suspending Nato supplies and cross-border trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan after Afghan protesters burnt the Pakistani flag.

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According to sources, the fourth flag meeting was held at the Friendship Gate between border authorities of Pakistan and Afghanistan on the request of Afghan officials. Sources said that Afghan border officials once again urged Pakistani counterparts to reopen the border unconditionally without further delay as it was causing huge financial loss to the traders and businessmen from both sides.

However, official sources said that Pakistani authorities made it clear that the border would be opened only after an apology was tendered by Afghan officials who provoked their compatriots into disrespecting the Pakistani flag.

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“We have not received orders from the high command regarding reopening of the border with Afghanistan in Chaman so far,” a senior Pakistani official said, adding that the high command was aware about the situation created after closure of border.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (6)

Fahre Afghan | 7 years ago | Reply Why were Pakistani protesting against India on Durand line at Chaman crossing on Afghanistan Freedom day? Indian embassy in Islamabad or Quetta was the right place, one would suppose.

Ahmer | 7 years ago | Reply @Tony Singh: Indians at large perhaps get their disinformation from times of india, perhaps you need to be mature and stop spitting venom all the time.

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Matt | 7 years ago | Reply @Tony, No such expiry date exists on the Durand line agreement. In fact In 2004, spokespersons of U.S. State Department's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office also pointed out that the Durand Line Agreement has no mention of an expiration date. "Recurrent claims that (the) Durand Treaty expired in 1993 are unfounded. Cartographic depictions of boundary conflict with each other, but Treaty depictions are clear." — A spokesperson for U.S. State Department's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues

irfan | 7 years ago | Reply Pakistan should also mined the sensitive areas with Pak-Afghan border asap. Pakistan have bear the burden of Afghan refugees for more than 4 decades . Once the Fencing and Mined project is done , get rid of them ASAP. Soon they will realize , India where Muslims are Murdered , including Kashmir , want friendship with Afghanistan ( so called Muslim state ) is just a hypocrite and domestic enemy.

Tony Singh | 7 years ago | Reply @Abbassin: Pakistanis at large perhaps do not know that treaty on Durand line expired in1993 and has nor been renewed since then. Therefore Pakistan cannot claim the land they occupy in Chaman is their land.

Abbassin | 7 years ago | Reply Afghan leadership must understand that the crossing over by an Afghan mob into Pakistan, burning Pakistani flag, plus causing damage to the building housing the border staff and offices, is tantamount to an invasion of a sovereign country. And when something as serious as this happens, invaders are shot on the spot. Thankfully, the border guards showed restraint and did not do so, and instead closed the border. The ball is now in Afghanistan’s court, and it is up to them to realize the gravity of the situation and come to the table to discuss not only this incident, but make sure that this does not happen again. Further, I do wish that for the sake of hapless and long suffering people of Afghanistan, this matter is settled quickly, notwithstanding the continued brinkmanship of the Afghan leadership.

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