Torkham trouble

An estranged attitude from the Afghan Taliban is obstructing conventional congeniality on both sides of the western frontier. This unfriendly behaviour from the dispensation in Kabul is quite perplexing given that it comes despite the selfless cooperation from Islamabad. It is agreed that there are multiple problems between the two countries like cross-border incursions, terror remnants, including the repulsive TTP, as well as geopolitical intrigues. But that should not act as a spanner in the works in terms of buoying neighbourly cooperation. Afghanistan must also take cognisance of the fact that Pakistan has been on the receiving end as terror has risen its ugly head, and Taliban 2.0 have not been able to keep their word of ensuring sanctity by checking rogue elements on their soil.

The recent fissures in terms of the closure of Torkham border is a case in point. It is a given that Pakistan had initiated the idea of fencing the porous 2,600km long border with Afghanistan to check the free flow of undesired elements across the frontiers. Thus, the unilateral construction of a check-post inside Afghanistan's Torkham zone by Kabul is a deviation from agreed norms of informing each other, and speaks of the mistrust or contempt that the Taliban leadership nurses for Pakistan. The discord led to suspension of activity across the border for the second consecutive day on Monday, from where an average of 600 trucks and thousands of pedestrians cross over into either side every day.

While this region has witnessed clashes last year, leading to loss of lives of security personnel and civilians, it comes as a grave risk altogether to see it going over this brink once again. Both the countries are in need of entering a composite dialogue to iron out differences, as most of them are borne out of misunderstanding through the media. Moreover, Kabul has a piece of responsibility to shoulder and that is to ensure that non-state actors do not hold sway over diplomacy, and their meddling is checked earnestly.