Trade with Kabul to remain suspended over continued terrorist activity from Afghan soil: FO

Pakistan has voiced serious concern over the continued use of Afghan territory for terrorist attacks and reaffirmed that its border restrictions and trade suspension with Afghanistan will remain in place.

During the weekly press briefing on Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andarabi said the Afghan Taliban are supporting groups involved in terrorist activities and must prevent Afghan nationals from conducting attacks within Pakistan. He said Afghan territory is consistently being used to carry out terrorism against Pakistan, which is the reason Islamabad suspended trade with Kabul.

The spokesperson also welcomed Turkiye’s interest in mediation efforts, though the planned visit of a Turkish delegation was postponed due to the Turkish vice president’s foreign commitments.

He added that several countries have encouraged mediation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He further confirmed that the embassies of both Pakistan and Afghanistan are functioning and communication channels between the two sides remain open.

Andrabi further mentioned that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is currently visiting the European Union, where he attended the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Forum and held a series of meetings with European officials.

He said Dar met the Hungarian foreign minister and both sides signed a memorandum of understanding that will provide scholarships for Pakistani students. He also held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Denmark, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.

Before travelling to the European Union, Dar visited Moscow from November 17 to 18 to attend the SCO heads of government meeting, he added. During the visit, the DPM met the Russian president, prime minister, and foreign minister. In the SCO session, regional issues including relations with Afghanistan were discussed, after which a joint declaration on economic cooperation was issued.

Moreover, the spokesperson strongly condemned the actions of Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque. He also criticised India for recent arrests linked to the Red Fort bombings, stating that most of those detained were from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Read More: Torkham border closure inflicts Rs150m losses on wholesale traders

He said India is continually attempting to change the demographic balance in the region, and Pakistan calls on the international community and the United Nations to take notice of ongoing human rights violations in occupied Kashmir. Responding to the death sentence announced for ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, the spokesperson said that the issue is an internal matter for Bangladesh, which has its own constitution and legal system.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statement regarding the Indian prime minister avoiding a war, Andarabi said Pakistan considers the remarks credible. He added that the recent US congressional report was a research-based document prepared from open sources.

Speaking about the United Nations vote on Gaza, he said Pakistan explained its position after voting in favour of the US resolution. China, which abstained from the vote, also clarified its stance. He added that Pakistan and China share similar positions on several aspects of the issue.