Torkham Border Remains Closed As Talks Between Pakistan And Taliban Fail

Four days after the closure of the Torkham border crossing for trucks, Taliban and Pakistani border officials met to discuss the reopening of this crossing.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Geo News media reported that the negotiations between the two sides to ended in a stalemate.

On Saturday, the border authorities of Pakistan closed the Torkham crossing for the Afghan trucks.

According to the Geo News, in this meeting, the Taliban officials said that the suspension of trade activities is against social and international standards and has caused discomfort to the traders, patients, and other citizens.

As per the report, the meeting emphasised on the resumption of both vehicular and pedestrian movement at the Torkham crossing.

Under the recently implemented policy by Pakistani authorities, crossing the Torkham border is now possible only upon possessing a valid visa and passport. Drivers lacking these documents will not be permitted to traverse the crossing.

In reaction to Pakistan's measures, the Taliban has prohibited the entry of Pakistani commercial trucks into Afghanistan.

According to the Geo News report, Taliban officials stated that 90 percent of Afghan drivers and patients lack passports, citing resource constraints that hinder their ability to issue these documents.

The group officials asked Pakistan to allow entry for patients on a humanitarian basis.

Geo News, quoting Taliban officials, wrote that closing the border without prior notice would compel Afghanistan “to build a wall at the Torkham border to stop passage forever”.