Taliban encroaching on Pakistani territory? Officials cite ‘unlawful’ construction, 'indiscriminate firing'
1 min read 11 Sep 2023, 04:49 PM ISTPakistan accuses Taliban-led government of encroaching on its territory and indiscriminate firing on military posts. Border crossing closed.
PremiumPakistan has found itself embroidered in a border dispute with Afghanistan, with the Torkham crossing remaining closed for most of last week. Officials accuse the Taliban-led government of encroaching on Pakistani territory with the construction of an 'unlawful structure'. It also accused Afghan forces of targeting Pakistan military posts with “indiscriminate firing".
“On the 6th of September, instead of a peaceful resolution, Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, targeting Pakistan military posts, damaging the infrastructure at the Torkham Border Terminal, and putting the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan civilians at risk, when they were stopped from erecting such unlawful structures," a statement quoting foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lashed out at Islamabad over the closure of the Torkham border crossing for “unjustifiable reasons". The Taliban-led administration insisted that the move went against all previous agreements, customary international law and regulations.
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Thousands of travellers and hundreds of trucks laden with goods have been stranded in the area after the two countries exchanged fire on Wednesday. The Taliban claim that Pakistani security forces had fired on its troops as they fixed an old security outpost near the border. Baloch countered that the incident was related to the construction of a structure inside Pakistani territory.
As per local media reports the Taliban-led government has also expressed grave concern and a sense of distrust over the decision of the Pakistani government to stop hundreds of containers of Afghan goods at Karachi post. The decision has since led to escalated tensions and the burning of a truckload of figs at the Waga port in Baluchistan.
(With inputs from agencies)
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