ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan appears to have completely misunderstood a humanitarian gesture from Pakistan when it decided to open up the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham and Chaman on Thursday, specifically for the transportation of humanitarian emergency aid being sent by the United Nations for the people of Afghanistan. The UN emergency aid also includes food, medicine and school supplies for Afghan children.
The re-opening of the Pak-Afghan borders after nearly two months was not in any manner Islamabad’s decision to start normal bilateral trade, which has been suspended by both Islamabad and Kabul, after there were several terrorist attacks by the TTP from across the border. Thursday saw a strong reaction from the Taliban regime when it was informed by Pakistan to coordinate at the border to receive the UN humanitarian aid, with the Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid taking to X with a statement that it demanded firm guarantees from Pakistan before it opened up its borders for trade routes.
He said that since Afghanistan meets its needs from several other countries, it would only allow trade to resume if the Pakistan government gives strong assurances that the Pakistan government in future will not use closure of trade routes for political pressure, illegal use or to put people under pressure, while the rights of traders and people on both sides are preserved.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again reiterates its position regarding the opening of trade routes with Pakistan. As the trade and transit routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan had been illegally blocked by Pakistan as a means of political and economic pressure, the Taliban-led interim Afghan government has reiterated its stance on the reopening of trade and transit routes with Pakistan, saying Islamabad unilaterally and ‘illegally’ shut the crossings as a means of political and economic pressure, which brought serious losses to the people of both sides,” claimed Zabihullah Mujahid.
For now, the Foreign Office has not reacted to Kabul’s reaction as UN humanitarian aid remains stuck at the borders, but it is expected that its Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi will give a formal response at the weekly briefing today (Friday). A government official involved in helping with the UN humanitarian aid at the Pak-Afghan border told The News, “This is not the first time that we have heard such statements from Kabul. Their statement is clearly for their home audience. I hope Pakistan does not feel obliged to respond because it is the UN that should take up this issue with the Taliban regime, which has completely misunderstood UN humanitarian aid, for normal bilateral trade which Pakistan has blocked for the last few weeks till terrorist activities ceases from the soil of Afghanistan”.
AFP adds: Pakistan will temporarily allow UN relief supplies into Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, in the first partial border opening since deadly clashes erupted between the two neighbours in October. “In response to formal requests from UN agencies... the government of Pakistan has approved a limited and specific humanitarian exception to allow movement of their containers to Afghanistan,” a government official not authorised to speak to the media told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The supplies include food, medicine and medical equipment, and “other essential goods related to health and education”, the official said. The aid transfers will take place in “three phases”, though the official did not specify when the first phase would begin.
A United Nations official also confirmed that the aid would soon be allowed to enter Afghanistan. However, the head of the information department in Spin Boldak, an Afghan city near a key border crossing, told AFP: “We have no information about this yet and the gate at the border is closed.”
The Pakistani official said that the border would remain closed to all trade, and that the partial reopening for aid was “conditional”. “Pakistan has not reopened the border for general trade or immigration with Afghanistan, nor has it restored Afghan Transit Trade,” the official added.
