Islamabad, 12 September 2023 (TDI): The caretaker Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Jalil Abbas Jilani responded firmly to Afghan border closure allegations, calling the unprovoked firing by the other side an illegal action, on September 11.
Responding to questions about the statement by Afghanistan on the border’s closure, the Minister said it came as a surprise, as the interim Afghan authorities knew fully well the reasons for the temporary closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham.
Moreover, Foreign Office Spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures by the Interim Afghan Government inside its territory since these violate its sovereignty.
On the 6th of September, instead of a peaceful resolution, Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, targeting Pakistan military posts.
Consequently, they damaged the infrastructure and put the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan civilians at risk. But they were stopped from erecting such unlawful structures.
However, Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch added that such unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Pakistani border posts cannot be justified under any circumstances.
She also said that unprovoked firing by Afghan border security forces invariably emboldens the terrorist elements.
The Spokesperson also said that Pakistan wished the border with Afghanistan to be a border of peace and amity between the two countries.
Moreover, Pakistan has continued to exercise restraint and prioritize dialogue in the face of persistent unwarranted provocations by Afghan troops deployed along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border.
Although, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that temporary closures take place only in extreme cases such as the 6th September 2023 incident on the border or when Afghan soil is used to launch terror attacks inside the country.
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, the Spokesperson added that Pakistan cannot allow the misuse of the transit trade agreement.
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It 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.
She concluded by saying that we anticipate the Afghan interim authorities would take into account Pakistan’s concerns, uphold Pakistan’s territorial integrity, and prevent the use of Afghan land as a base for terrorist strikes against Pakistan.
