LANDI KOTAL:
The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, located in the Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), remained closed on Tuesday, as Afghan authorities delayed implementing the reopening decision agreed upon during a joint Jirga on Monday.
Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, the head of the Pakistani delegation at the Jirga talks, said that the Afghan Jirga had requested time to seek final approval from Afghan authorities. However, despite 20 hours passing, no final decision had been conveyed.
“We are still waiting for the Afghan Jirga to contact us, which has caused a delay in reopening the Torkham border,” said Kazmi, who also serves as an adviser to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
The border was closed on February 21, after the Afghan forces attempted to construct a military checkpoint near Torkham. Pakistani Frontier Corps (FC) authorities objected to the construction because it was being built on the Pakistani territory.
The situation escalated on March 4 after talks between the two sides for the reopening of the crossing failed and Pakistani security forces and Afghan Taliban fighters exchanged fire in which one Afghan border guard was killed and two others sustained injuries.
From day one, Kazmi said, his effort was to end the tension and find a peaceful solution to the issue. Therefore, he added, he contacted the leaders of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce on March 6 and invited them to Torkham on March 9 for negotiations.
“In the first successful session, the Joint Jirga agreed to an immediate ceasefire and a second session was scheduled for March 17. In the second round, Kazmi led a 36-member delegation for the talks with a 25-member Afghan delegation.
“Yesterday, the Jirga agreed that there will be a ceasefire until the 15th day of Eidul Fitr [mid-April], and both countries will not carry out construction in the disputed areas,” Kazmi said, adding that the issue of the controversial constructions would be taken up in the next meeting.
Kazmi said that the Afghan Jirga had sought time to get the final opinion from higher authorities in Jalalabad and Kabul. “They have not informed us about the final decision of the Afghan authorities,” Kazmi added.
Khyber Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Wajid Ali Shinwari told The Express Tribune that the talks focused on a ceasefire and no construction on disputed sites on the border, adding that reopening of border was linked to these two points.
“From the Pakistani side, we have agreed that no construction will be undertaken until the reopening [of the border] but they would take the matter to the governor of Nangarhar. The Nangarhar governor is still undecided and took the matter to Kabul, and until now, the Afghan side hasn’t shown any interest.”
Though the border still remained shut, a ceasefire was still intact, while the construction had halted. “The Jirga can be termed successful because the ceasefire is intact and construction has also halted. The Afghan side pressed that border should be open, till 15th after Eid – the next meeting,” Shinwari said.
The Pakistani Jirga, however, remained optimistic about receiving a positive message from the Afghan side soon. They said that emergency consultations were under way between the Afghan Jirga and their authorities, while the Torkham crossing remains closed for the 25th consecutive day.
Meanwhile, the border security officials from both sides were scheduled to meet at 9am Wednesday (today) to discuss and take the final decision regarding the reopening of the border.
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM OUR PESHAWAR CORRESPONDENT SHAHBULLAH YOUSUFZAI)
