Tensions flare up again at Torkham

Torkham, a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, remained closed on Sunday for the second consecutive day due to a dispute over the construction of a new post by the Afghan Taliban close to the border in violation of an agreement. The crossing, which links Khyber district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, was shut on Friday evening after the Taliban started constructing the new post. There was no official word from the Pakistani side about the closure, but one official confirmed the development. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that as per the agreement between the two sides, any new structure along the border requires prior consent from both sides. In this case, the Afghan side started constructing the new structure without informing or consulting Pakistan. The Taliban government was asked to halt the work but after their refusal Pakistan had to shut the border. The border crossing was closed for both trucks and pedestrians. An average of 600 to 700 trucks pass through the crossing while 5,000 to 6,000 pedestrians cross between the two sides each day. The Torkham border has been closed previously on many occasions for different reasons. "The current situation is very risky," said another official, adding that the standoff continued on Sunday. The official, when asked, could not provide a timeline for the reopening of the border. He said there were contacts at the local level between the two sides but the issue was yet to be resolved. The closure of the Torkham border, a vital trade and transit route between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has severely disrupted commercial activities and passenger movement. Despite escalating tensions, Pakistani officials as a gesture of goodwill allowed the transfer of the coffins of six Afghan citizens into the neighboring country. The issue of unauthorized construction along the border has long been a point of contention between the two countries. Since 2016, Pakistani and Afghan border forces have repeatedly clashed over the construction of buildings near the frontier. Both sides have since taken a rigid stance on border management, often responding forcefully to any construction or renovation activities carried out without prior coordination. The latest spat has added to the already tense ties between the two countries over the alleged use of Afghan soil by anti-Pakistani terrorist groups. A recent UN report endorsed Pakistan's concerns that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was not only operating from Afghanistan but also enjoyed support from the incumbent Kabul regime. The report stated that the Afghan Taliban provided operational and financial support to the TTP. The terrorist group was allowed to establish new training centers in Kunar, Khost, and Paktika right under the Afghan Taliban's watch. Pakistan has made it clear that unless the issue of terrorist sanctuaries is addressed, relations between the two countries cannot improve. The Taliban government has always maintained that the TTP is Pakistan's internal problem, but independent assessments suggest otherwise. Earlier, in August 2024, the border crossing was also closed after clashes between the two countries' border security forces over the Afghan Taliban's construction of roads near the border.

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