ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has decided to keep its border crossings with Afghanistan closed for an indefinite period, signaling a tougher stance until the Afghan Taliban regime takes “verifiable and irreversible” measures against terrorist groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Officials told The Express PAkGazette that the government has conveyed to Kabul that the crossings will not be reopened for trade and commercial activity unless concrete steps are taken to eliminate anti-Pakistan elements operating from Afghan soil.
The border closure, which has now lasted more than a month, has left thousands of trucks and containers stranded on both sides, paralyzing bilateral trade and the regional transit route.
Currently, the crossing points remain open only for one-way humanitarian movements, primarily to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees and stranded people.
“Human lives take priority over trade and economic considerations,” said a senior official, explaining why Islamabad is unwilling to budge on terrorism.
The decision aligns with Pakistan’s sharpest message to Kabul. At Friday’s weekly press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi drew a clear red line, ruling out any “significant trade or economic engagement” with Afghanistan unless the Taliban regime acts decisively against groups targeting Pakistan.
“Pakistan is a strong supporter of regional trade and connectivity,” Andrabi said. “We have extended a number of trade concessions to Afghanistan, but these positive gestures have not been reciprocated by the Afghan Taliban regime, which continues to actively harbor and support elements perpetrating terrorism against Pakistan from Afghan soil.”
He cited the recent terror attacks in Islamabad and Wana, calling them a stark reminder of the threat emanating from across the border.
“Both incidents had deep Afghan imprints,” he stressed. “In the Islamabad attack, an Afghan national was the suicide bomber. Let this reality sink in in Kabul.”
Officials say the latest closure is not a routine border management measure but a strategic policy change. Taliban leaders have been privately informed that dialogue cannot continue without demonstrable action against the TTP and the group Pakistan now officially calls Fitna Al-Khawarij (FaK).
The spokesperson dismissed as untenable the Afghan Taliban’s claim of being “defenceless” against the TTP.
“They claim control of all Afghan territory, but attacks against Pakistan continue to be orchestrated from Afghan soil,” Andrabi said. “Afghan citizens involved in these attacks are responsible along with the groups they harbor.”
The confrontation has also been exacerbated by recent comments by Taliban authorities warning Afghan traders not to depend on Pakistan and urging them to move their businesses to other countries.
For now, Pakistan appears to be in no mood to budge. “Security first, trade second” is how one official summed up Islamabad’s position.
