High-level Pakistani delegation on Wednesday landed in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul for talks with the Taliban officials, days after the two neighboring countries closed a major crossing at Torkham gate.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khwaja Asif and other top officials, including Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, the director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, held talks with the Taliban deputy prime minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The sides discussed several issues, where Baradar stressed more on development of bilateral ties, trade, regional connectivity and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Baradar told Asif that Afghanistan and Pakistan have long borders and stressed upon having a great relation and to further expand the ties.
He also stressed upon development of commercial and economic ties which will benefit both the neighboring countries and called for separation of business and economic issues from political or security.
Border dispute
Four days before Asif’s visit to Kabul, the Taliban closed Torkham border crossing and accused Pakistan of not abiding by its commitments. Siddiqullah Quraishi, Taliban’s head of the local provincial Information Department said that Islamabad had promised to create facilities for transit, sick people and passengers, but failed to deliver on its promises.
There were also clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan border guards on Monday at the gate, in which a Pakistan border guard received injuries.
Without giving further details, Quraishi said that talks are underway between the two sides to resolve the matter and assured that the situation is under control.
Torkham is one of the biggest transit routes for travelers and trade between the two countries.
Thousands of trucks remained stranded on both sides of the border, and hundreds of people were waiting to cross the gate.
But it has been said that the gate will reopen tomorrow (Thursday) and an understanding reached at the highest level that border crossings will not be closed by either side again.
In the meeting with Asif, Baradar stressed for better facilities for all passengers in Torkham and Spin Boldak and special facilities should be created for the transportation of emergency patients.
Baradar also asked for the release of those Afghans that are currently imprisoned in Pakistan.
Discussing counter-terrorism measures
Defense Minister Asif and ISI chief Anjum with other high-ranking officials visited Kabul to discuss key border issues, mainly counter-terrorism measures, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
The delegation met senior leadership of the Interim Afghan government including Baradar, Defense Minister Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, the statement said.
The two sides discussed issues relating to the growing threat of terrorism in the region, particularly by TTP and ISKP. The two sides agreed to collaborate to effectively address the threat of terrorism posed by various entities and organizations.
Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields to further enhance the fraternal relations between the two countries, as per the statement.
The closure also came one day after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came with a statement at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Zardari on Sunday said that the Taliban and jihadi infiltrators from Afghanistan pose a risk. However, his remark earned criticism from the Taliban. In response to his statement, Taliban Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said that Zardari’s remarks “are untrue”.
Dramatic increase in militant attacks
Pakistan has come under dramatic attack by the militants in the last two years, and in recent incident, a suicide squad stormed a police compound in Karachi city on Friday. The incident took the lives of five people.
At least 80 people were killed and dozens more were wounded after a suicide bomber detonated his vest in a mosque in Peshawar in January.
Both the incidents were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban known as TTP and they have good ties with the Afghan Taliban.
Though the Taliban and TTP are allied, but they are maintaining separate structures. Pakistan had also claimed that armed groups are launching attacks on the country from Afghanistan, a statement denied by the Taliban in strongest possible terms.
Importance of high-level meetings
An Afghan security analyst said that such meetings between top leadership of the Taliban and Pakistan are very much important for resolving any kind of issues peacefully.
The two sides can now carry more talks on contention issues face-to-face and hope such meetings will definitely bear fruits.
This is also important for building mutual understanding and creating trust as well as to see from near what is the sentiment between the sides.
Peaceful Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan and that’s why it’s important for Islamabad to work with the Taliban from a point of honesty and sincerity, he added.
Kabul and Islamabad can jointly work to resolve the issues of terror and cross border terrorism, but before that they must reach consensus, according to him.
