Pakistan and Afghanistan Hold Crucial Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to hold crucial talks focusing on security and border issues during the 7th session of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), scheduled to take place in Kabul. The meeting comes amid escalating tensions between the two nations, sparked by issues such as the deportation of Afghan refugees, border skirmishes, and the growing presence of armed groups in Pakistan since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that these militant groups operate from Afghan territory, a statement that Afghan officials have denied, asserting that no one can use Afghan soil to launch attacks against other countries.
The Pakistani delegation will be led by Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, and includes officials from the military and intelligence services. Sadiq’s office in Islamabad confirmed his arrival in Kabul on Wednesday.
On the Afghan side, the meeting will be led by Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, Afghanistan’s Deputy Defense Minister. Zakir, a senior leader of the Taliban, previously served as head of the Taliban military commission during the 20-year conflict with US-NATO forces.
According to Sadiq’s official social media update, this meeting comes after a prolonged hiatus, with the last JCC session held in Islamabad earlier in January 2024. Afghan spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stated that the talks would focus on resolving disputes along the Durand Line and improving cross-border relations for the benefit of both nations’ populations.
In recent months, tensions have flared between Pakistani and Afghan forces, particularly following a border standoff at the Torkham crossing. This resulted in a brief closure that lasted 27 days before a deal was brokered by a Pakistani-Afghan Jirga, leading to the crossing’s reopening on March 19, 2024.
The Pakistani Jirga head, Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, noted that the upcoming JCC meeting would discuss the terms agreed upon by the Jirga, including a ceasefire that is set to last until April 15, 2024. Both countries also agreed to halt construction of controversial new checkposts along the border.
Terrorism-related issues, particularly the presence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed factions, remain significant obstacles in bilateral relations. Pakistan’s Foreign Office recently revealed that the terrorists behind the Jaffar Express hijacking had links to Afghanistan, citing phone records traced to Afghan territory.
Afghan authorities have countered by claiming that militants from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) cross into Afghanistan from Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, a claim that Pakistani officials have rejected as unfounded.
Afghan Delegation to Visit Pakistan for Trade Talks
In a separate development, a delegation from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce, headed by Minister Noor Uddin Azizi, is scheduled to visit Pakistan. The Afghan Commerce Ministry confirmed that both countries’ commerce ministers will hold discussions on key trade matters, including the preferential trade agreement, tariff reductions, a revised transit agreement, and improved border facilities for traders.
