Islamabad:
On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Torkham’s border was temporarily reopened, since the two parties would maintain more negotiations to establish a “permanent system” that would guarantee a perfect operation at the key edge crossing.
The border was reopened on Wednesday after staying closed for 26 days. It was closed on February 21 after a dispute arose about a check that the Afghan side was being built in the Pakistani territory.
The decision to reopen the key crossing occurred as a result of a series of jirgas and a flag meeting between the two officials.
But the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the current agreement would only be destined for the next few weeks.
“Torkham has opened yesterday, and I think for tomorrow, pedestrian traffic will also be allowed. Therefore, the current agreement has been reached through mutual consultations, and this is a good and positive development that is until April 15,” said Shafqat Ali Khan to a weekly news records.
“At that time, we hope that more negotiations and consultations will be held to establish a permanent system that can guarantee the continuous operation of the Torkham border without problems,” he added.
Official sources said that both parties still needed to solve the problems. According to the sources, Pakistan wanted permanent guarantees that the Afghan side would not build any structure on the border without properly consulting the other side.
The border was reopened to relieve pressure and allow trucks and stranded people to be transmitted between the two countries.
The spokesman of the Foreign Ministry suggested that Border could be closed again if the problems are not resolved before April 15.
The spokesman, however, said that the reopening of the border was a positive development that added: “We want to make it sustainable and permanent.”
The spokesman made it clear that Pakistan would not extend the deadline for the repatriation of all the headlines of the Afghan citizens’ card. All these Afghan have been administered until the time of March 31 to leave Pakistan or face deportation.
Regarding not consulting the UNHCR, the spokesman clarified that Pakistan was not obliged to consult the ACNUR. “We are not obliged to consult the ACNUR. First of all, Pakistan is not a member of the refugee convention. Therefore, everything we have done by Afghan refugees was carried out voluntarily during the last 50 years. Therefore, with respect to international obligations, we have fulfilled more than our part, by offering this type of hospitality to Afghan and we continue to welcome them.”
“But they should have Pakistani visas in their passport, and then they will be more than welcome. In addition, there is a great body of Afghans living here with the right documentation,” he added.
Shafqat also confirmed that the Afghan CD’A was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week to register a protest for the use of Afghan soil in recent terrorist attacks.
“This is part of the diplomatic routine activity. We do not announce it in the media. There is a regular interaction between Islamabad headquarters and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is a regular activity. Therefore, nothing of exception or unusual. We need to keep that in sight,” he said.
The spokesman said that Pakistan had transmitted his concerns to Afghanistan consistently. “For example, the special representative, Ambassador Sadiq, is also actively in contact. Therefore, our position on this issue has been constantly transmitted to the Afghan authorities through several channels. In fact, the terrorist threat against Pakistan of terrorist entities, including TTP, Bla and ISKP, is our main concern.”
“We continue to impress the interim authorities to take visible and verifiable measures against them, taking into account their commitments granted to the international community to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and the groups of the Afghan soil,” he said.
India
The Foreign Ministry reiterated that the fictitious narrative of the victim of India could not hide their participation in the terrorism in the soil of Pakistan and the oppression sanctioned by the State in the Jammu and Kashmir (Iiojk) with occupied by the State.
The spokesman of the Foreign Ministry said that Indian participation in the ventilation of terrorism in Pakistan and destabilizing Baluchistan was clear.
Referring to Indian participation in global murder plots, he said that not only in Pakistan, India had been sponsoring such illegal activities throughout the region.
“Instead of blaming others, India should reflect on their own orchestrate registration murder, subversion and terrorism in foreign territories,” he said and said that India had not condemned the recent attack against Jaffar Express in Baluchistan.
The spokesman said that Pakistan was alarmed by the highest frequency of the unjustified statements of Indian leadership about Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that it was India that led Jammu and Kashmir to the United Nations in 1948, so he had no right to blame the Security Council and its former members for the resolutions that were subsequently adopted.
“The repetition of the statements without foundation cannot deny the fact that Jammu and Kashmiro are an internationally recognized territory whose final state must be determined by its people through a non -supervised plebiscite, as stipulated in the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.”
Reiterating the defense of Pakistan of constructive participation and the results -oriented dialogue to solve all pending problems, including the central Jammu and Kashmir dispute, said that peace and stability in southern Asia had remained hostage to the rigid approach of India and hegemonic ambitions.
“The Anti-Pakistan narrative, which emanates from India, vicia the bilateral environment and prevents the perspectives of peace and cooperation. It must stop,” he said.
When asked to comment on the visit of some Pakistani people to Israel, he said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had nothing to do with that, since the information on the matter was collected.
However, he categorically explained that Pakistan’s position on the recognition of Israel and the rights of the Palestinian people was unwavering and unchanged.
Regarding the inclusion of Pakistani citizens in certain categories of visa restriction, the spokesman said that both the State Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had refuted speculative reports on social networks.
He condemned Israel’s vicious attacks against the people of the West Bank and Gaza, describing it as a flagrant violation of the high fire agreement; International Humanitarian Law; UN letter; and hinders trust and faith in the global community and international law.
