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

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

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.  

Read No headway in talks on Torkham issue

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.”