Torkham closure hurts trade, people

Three rounds of talks since Sept 6 fail to break deadlock

ISLAMABAD:

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan continued to persist on Tuesday as both the sides failed to make any headway in their talks to reopen the key border crossing that remained shut since Sept 6.

“The status quo persists. No progress so far in talks. In fact, both sides are no longer holding talks for now,” an official source familiar with the development told The Express Tribune.

Hundreds of trucks and travellers were stranded on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, a week into the closure of the nations' busiest crossing after a gunfight erupted across the frontier.

The sources said after failure to resolve the issue through talks, the two sides were not talking to each other at least for now.

The border closure left hundreds of trucks on both sides of the border stranded. The crossing was also shut for all kinds of movement.

A Pakistani official while speaking on condition of anonymity said it was surprising the way the Afghan Taliban government was behaving.

Pakistan was not happy with the statement issued by the Afghan foreign ministry, levelling what officials here called “baseless” allegations against Pakistan.

The official believes that the Afghan government seems to be frustrated over Pakistan’s move to launch a crackdown against smugglers.

The Afghan economy was benefiting from smuggled goods, according to the official.

Tensions have been building between Pakistan and the interim Afghan government for months over the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issue.

Read more: Pak blames Taliban's 'illegal' construction for Torkham border closure

Despite Pakistan’s repeated requests, Kabul is reluctant to act against the TTP and its sanctuaries. Some observers believe that Pakistan’s move to delay the reopening of the border was meant to pressurize the Taliban government.

Officials here suspect that the recent attack by TTP terrorists in Chitral may have the tacit approval of the Afghan government.

The Afghan Taliban may be sending a message through the TTP attack that if Pakistan resorts to any punitive measures Kabul too has options to respond in kind.

Some sources said the situation may improve in a few days but conceded that the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan would continue to face ups and downs in the future.

However, 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 should not involve traders in politics," said truck driver Siddiqullah, who goes by one name. "How are traders and the poor at fault?"

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.

Pakistan 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.

(With additional input from AFP)