PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Adviser to Information, Barrister Saif, has urged the federal government to approve the Terms of Reference (TORs) for an urgent delegation to Afghanistan, emphasizing the need for immediate dialogue.
In a statement, Barrister Saif stressed that ensuring the security of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s residents remains the provincial government’s top priority.
He criticised the federal government for allegedly politicising the issue of terrorism and questioned why similar objections were not raised when chief ministers from Punjab and Sindh undertook foreign visits. He stated that such actions reinforce the province’s sense of deprivation.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has confirmed reports that Afghan authorities attempted to construct a border post on the Pakistani side at Torkham. This follows the closure of the Torkham border crossing last Friday, which has disrupted movement and trade.
The Foreign Office spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, confirmed these efforts during a weekly briefing, highlighting the ongoing challenges at the border.
Shafqat Ali Khan explained that Afghan authorities had been attempting to create a post on the Pakistani side of the border, which would have been a violation of existing protocols.
The Pakistani government has officially raised concerns with Afghan authorities and has urged them to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiations.
“We have told Afghan authorities that this issue can be settled through proper discussions,” Shafqat Ali Khan said.
Earlier, Revealing a major development on the diplomatic front, Adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif on Sunday said that the provincial government would dispatch two delegations to Afghanistan to hold talks with Kabul.
As per the terms of references (ToRs), two delegations will be dispatched to Kabul with the first one tasked with creating a conducive environment for talks and handling diplomatic matters whereas the second one will comprise various stakeholders.The development comes against the backdrop of increased terrorist incidents in Pakistan which Islamabad has time again blamed on outlawed groups based in Kabul — something vehemently denied by the Afghan Taliban-led administration.
The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.
However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.
Islamabad’s reservations have also been confirmed by a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team which has revealed a nexus between Kabul and the TTP with the forming providing logistical, operational and financial support to the latter.
Furthermore, this is also evident from the statistics compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) which show that KP and Balochistan — both of whom abut Afghanistan — have remained the worst-affected provinces from increased terrorist attacks which witnessed a surge of 42% last month compared to December 2024. –Agencies
