Pakistan says border dispute hinges on IEA forces violating their sovereignty

Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs said Monday that Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces had been constructing structures inside Pakistan’s territory last week, which was in violation of its sovereignty.

The ministry said in a statement on the closure of the Torkham crossing that the IEA’s statement “comes as a surprise as the Interim Afghan authorities know fully well the reasons for the temporary closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham.”

The Islamic Emirate’s foreign ministry said late Saturday in a statement that the ongoing closure of Torkham border crossing and the firing on Afghan border guards by Pakistan troops was contrary to good neighborly relations.

The ministry said Pakistan border guards opened fire on IEA forces while they were repairing an old security outpost. The incident took place on Wednesday, resulting in the immediate closure to all traffic through the key Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan deems the closure of Torkham gate and opening of fire on Afghan security forces by the Pakistani side contrary to good neighborliness,” the statement read.

Pakistan on Monday however accused the IEA of building structures on its territory.

In their statement, Pakistan said it “cannot accept the construction of any structures by Interim Afghan Government inside its territory since these violate its sovereignty. On the 6th of September, instead of a peaceful resolution, Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, targeting Pakistan military posts, damaging the infrastructure at the Torkham Border Terminal, and putting the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan civilians at risk, when they were stopped from erecting such unlawful structures.”

Pakistan claimed the shooting had been unprovoked and.

“The unprovoked firing by Afghan border security forces invariably emboldens the terrorist elements. These elements are enjoying sanctuaries inside Afghanistan as confirmed by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team in its latest report,” Pakistan’s statement read.

The ministry also said that Pakistan has continued to exercise restraint and prioritize dialogue in the face of persistent unwarranted provocations by Afghan troops deployed along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border. “Temporary closures take place only in extreme cases such as the 6th September 2023 incident on the border or when Afghan soil is used to launch terror attacks inside Pakistan.”

“We expect the Afghan interim authorities to be mindful of Pakistan’s concerns, respect the territorial integrity of Pakistan and ensure that the Afghan territory is not used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of trucks laden with goods have been prevented from crossing into Pakistan. A large percentage of these trucks are carrying fresh fruits and vegetables which are likely to perish.