ISLAMABAD: Mawlawi Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, acting ambassador of Afghanistan to Islamabad, said on Tuesday his country did not have a policy of supporting “elements” who crossed into Pakistan to carry out militant attacks, urging the neighboring country to streamline bilateral relations by opening all border crossings for trade.
Islamabad says the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group uses Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks and says the ruling Taliban administration has provided safe havens to the group along their shared border. Pakistan has recently variously accused TTP militants harboring in Afghanistan as well as Afghan nationals for being behind a surge of attacks in the South Asian nation. The Taliban deny this.
The TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban movement, but pledges loyalty to the group that now rules Afghanistan after the US-led international forces withdrew in 2021.
“This allegation [of harboring militants] is not correct. Afghan soil is not being used against Pakistan,” Shakeeb said at a talk arranged by the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad. “We don’t support it. This is not correct.”
He, however, admitted that “some elements” may have infiltrated Pakistan through the shared border, but insisted this was against the “policy” of the Afghan government.
“Maybe some elements, they are crossing some areas [into Pakistan],” he added, “but our policy is very clear, we don’t support these elements.”
The official said the Afghan government had captured “a lot of people” in recent months who had attempted to cross over into Pakistan, calling for “effective negotiations” between the two neighboring countries to check illegal movement.
Shakeen also spoke about Pakistan’s efforts to curb the flow of people and trade with Afghanistan, as Islamabad vows to implement a strict visa and passport policy on border crossings due to security concerns.
Pakistani officials say the restrictions, which were put in place last year, are a necessary security measure as the country grapples with a resurgence in militant violence.
Pashtun tribes straddling both sides of the British-era border’s Durand Line have historically moved freely for businesses and communal life. But starting last year, for the first time since the border was drawn over a century ago, Pakistani authorities are requiring residents to show a passport and visa before crossing over, paperwork virtually none of them possess.
“This [cross-border militancy] should not affect trade and lead to closure of the borders,” Shakeeb said, adding that Afghanistan’s geographical location could serve as an important corridor for trade with Pakistan and Central Asian states, though political and security challenges had hampered the realization of this potential.
“Our trade ties with Pakistan are affected due to different challenges, but we are committed to address them,” the Afghan diplomat said, adding that Afghan commerce ministry officials were engaged with Pakistani counterparts to iron out differences and restore the full potential of bilateral trade.
