Pakistan slams Afghan refusal to accept international border

In this photograph taken on September 7, 2016, a truck carrying the belongings of a repatriated Afghan refugee family crosses the border into Afghanistan at the Torkham crossing point in Pakistan’s tribal Khyber district. (AFP/File)

• Officials in Kabul issued the statement after Islamabad introduced 24-hour immigration facility at Torkham crossing
• Pakistan’s foreign office says such statements undermine the resolve for peace and cooperation between the two countries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan sharply reacted to a statement issued by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday in which it refused to recognize the international border between the two countries.
According to an official handout circulated by the foreign office in Islamabad, Kabul’s official assertion was both “irresponsible and unwarranted” since the Pak-Afghan border was internationally recognized and “in accordance with all relevant international laws and conventions.”
The Afghan ministry made the statement after Pakistan decided to provide 24-hour immigration facility to traders and travelers at the busy Torkham border crossing between the two countries.
“Pakistan believes that 24/7 opening of the Torkham point along Pakistan-Afghanistan border is a significant step forward to facilitate the people and traders of both sides,” the foreign office said.
It added that such statements by Afghan authorities “only serve to undermine the resolve for peace and cooperation between the two countries and should be avoided.”