Pakistan not to tolerate construction of any structures on its territory: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected the statement issued by the Afghan Foreign Office concerning the closure of the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham and asserted that it will not tolerate the construction of any structures on its territory.

This development comes after the Afghan Taliban criticized the closure of the primary border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan earlier this week due to clashes between security forces. The Taliban expressed concerns that the halt in trade would result in substantial losses for businesses.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers the closure of the Torkham gate and the firing on Afghan security forces by the Pakistani side as contrary to good neighborliness,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban administration.

Responding to these developments, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated on Monday that the statement from the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the closure of the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham was surprising.

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“The Afghan government is well aware of the reasons for the border closure,” she added.

The bustling Torkham border crossing was closed on Wednesday following an exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces. The clash occurred when Afghan Taliban forces attempted to erect a security outpost near the border.

Baloch emphasized that Pakistan cannot permit the construction of any structures on its territory, citing it as a violation of sovereignty. She further noted that the unprovoked firing posed a threat to the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan citizens.

Disputes related to the 2,600-kilometer (1,615-mile) border have remained a longstanding source of contention between the neighboring nations for decades.