Afghanistan teaches Pakistan a lesson, Shehbaz Sharif forms committee to reopen border for trade, Taliban now plans to…

New Delhi: Bankrupt Pakistan has changed its position after maintaining a hard stance for a long time on the issue of suspending trade with Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday formed a 13-member joint committee of business leaders to hold formal talks on reopening the border for trade. It is important to note that the border between the two countries has been closed since October last year.

Pakistan carried out attacks over the issue of Afghanistan in October, allegedly providing shelter to groups like the TTP. This was followed by clashes between the two sides, after which the border was shut. As per The Express Tribune, the joint committee includes six members from Pakistan and seven from Afghanistan.

Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, who is leading the Pakistani delegation, said that the main objective of the talks is to reopen the Pak–Afghan trade routes, remove obstacles in border management, and ensure continuity of bilateral trade.

Hope for Border Reopening

Talking about the development, Kazmi further added that a comprehensive and practical roadmap will be prepared to provide a permanent solution to the problems faced by traders and the general public. He said that the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government has given the committee full decision-making authority to ensure meaningful dialogue.

He expressed hope that the Torkham and other border crossings would be reopened and bilateral trade would be restored. To recall, the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated last year after all trade routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan were closed to all kinds of movement.

This has reportedly caused massive financial losses to traders on both sides. Pakistan had earlier said that it would not reopen the border until the issue of the TTP was resolved, but in view of the economic losses, it now appears willing to reopen the border.

Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship and the issue between the two countries?

• Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained tense since border clashes in October last year.
• Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE tried to mediate between the two sides but these efforts have failed.
• The main reason of the dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the armed group TTP.
• According to Pakistan, TTP members are entering its territory from Afghanistan and carrying out attacks on its security personnel.
• Pakistan has demanded a written assurance from the Taliban government of Afghanistan to rein in the TTP.
• The Taliban have not agreed to this demand, and as a result, tensions and disputes between the two countries continue.