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” action against terrorist outfits, particularly the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Officials told The Express Pakinomist that the government has conveyed to Kabul that the crossings will not reopen for trade and commercial activity unless concrete steps are taken to eliminate anti-Pakistan elements operating from Afghan soil.
The border closure, now stretching over a month, has left thousands of trucks and containers stranded on both sides, hampering bilateral trade and the regional transit route.
At present, the crossing points are only open to one-way humanitarian movement, primarily to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees and stranded persons.
“Human life takes precedence over commercial and economic considerations,” a senior official said, explaining why Islamabad is unwilling to compromise on terror.
The decision is in line with Pakistan’s toughened messages to Kabul. At the weekly press briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi drew a clear red line, ruling out any “meaningful trade or economic engagement” with Afghanistan unless the Taliban regime acts decisively against groups targeting Pakistan.
“Pakistan is a strong advocate of regional trade and connectivity,” Andrabi said. “We extended a number of trade concessions to Afghanistan, but these positive gestures have not been reciprocated by the Afghan Taliban regime, which continues to harbor and actively support elements that commit 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 fingerprints,” he stressed. “In the Islamabad attack, an Afghan national was the suicide bomber. So let this reality sink in Kabul.”
Officials say the latest closure is not a routine border management measure, but a strategic policy shift. The Taliban leadership has been privately informed that the dialogue cannot continue without demonstrable action against the TTP and the group Pakistan now officially calls Fitna Al-Khawarij (FaK).
The spokesman dismissed the Afghan Taliban’s claim of being “helpless” against the TTP as untenable.
“They claim control over all Afghan territory, yet attacks on Pakistan continue to be orchestrated from Afghan soil,” Andrabi said. “Afghan nationals involved in these attacks bear responsibility along with the groups they host.”
Opposition has also been fueled by recent remarks by Taliban officials warning Afghan traders against relying on Pakistan and urging them to shift business to other countries.
So far, Pakistan seems to be in no mood to budge. “Security first, trade later” is how one official summed up Islamabad’s position.
