Clashes Between Taliban & Pakistani Forces Continue In Paktia Province

The placard read, "No to the Taliban, no to terrorists, and no to their supporters."

Several Taliban members and political figures have been engaged in discussions regarding Afghanistan in Oslo since Tuesday, May 14.

Omar Samad, former Afghan ambassador to Canada; Jafar Mahdavi, former Afghan parliament member; Faizullah Zaland, a professor at Kabul University; Karim Amin, a senior member of the Hezb-e Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; and Qayyum Sajjadi, former Afghan parliament member, are among the Afghan political activists and Taliban supporters present at the meeting.

In addition, Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen, a Taliban member who previously served as the head of the National Olympic Committee in Kabul, and Faiz Mohammad Usmani, who was the Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs in the previous government, are also in attendance.

He told Afghanistan International that after returning to Kabul, he survived four assassination attempts.

In a video message to the Pashto section of Afghanistan International, Mujahid said that he returned to Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban commission. Despite resolving hostilities and disputes with Saifuddin, a Taliban commander in Jalalabad, he did not have a peaceful life.

Mujahid, stating that the Taliban harassed his family on various pretexts, said, "Four days ago, they raided my son Qari Shafi's house after falsely accusing him of storing drugs, while my son is a mullah and recently took on the title."

He added, "During the raid on my son's house in Kabul, they fired at my grandchildren and accused them of storing weapons and drugs."

This former official said, "The Taliban should abandon their vindictive behaviour, conspiracies, and bullying, and adhere to the general amnesty." He mentioned that Taliban leaders have announced a general amnesty, but the group's commanders do not believe in it.

The Taliban established the Commission for Contact with Afghan Personalities and continuously urge former officials to return to the country. However, some officials have been arrested and tortured upon their return.

In the previous government, Mujahid served in the Bihsud, Bati Kot, and Achin districts of Nangarhar. In the early years of the previous government, he was arrested by the US forces on charges of being a member of the al-Qaeda network and transferred to Guantanamo.

Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, announced that the meeting emphasised on providing developmental aid for the welfare of the Afghan people.

On the social media platform X, he also wrote that officials from both countries discussed the current situation in Afghanistan.

Further details of the discussion have not yet been disclosed.

Russia and India, like other countries, do not recognise the Taliban and have consistently emphasised on the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan during regional meetings.

However, Russia has close relations with the Taliban, and the Taliban's foreign ministry recently stated that Delhi is also interested in expanding political relations with the group.

According to the sources, the reason for the conflict was the construction of an outpost by Pakistani forces at the zero point between the two countries.

Audio recordings obtained by Afghanistan International reveal relatively intense gunfire between the Taliban and Pakistani border forces.

As per the sources, the Kharlachi crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan has also been closed due to this conflict.

This is the second clash between the Taliban and Pakistani border forces in the past two days.

Local sources reported on Monday from Paktia province that a conflict occurred between the forces of the two sides in the border area of Aryob Zazi district.

The Taliban canceled a visit by a Pakistani military delegation to Kandahar due to last Thursday's air and missile attacks by Pakistan on Paktika province.

A Pakistani military delegation was scheduled to travel from Rawalpindi to Kandahar on Sunday, May 12.

Security sources from Pakistan confirmed to Afghanistan International that the Taliban canceled this visit.

He has called for the immediate reopening of this crossing to prevent financial losses for traders.

The President of FPCCI said, “It is complete chaos once again on the important and indispensable trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

He urged the Pakistani government to allow traders to transport essential goods, including food and medicine, across the border. Sheikh described the situation as a humanitarian and socio-economic crisis.

He said that the Spin Boldak-Chaman crossing is at the heart of the region's complex landscape and the crossing has long been a significant point of interaction between Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly as a hub for cross-border trade between the two neighbouring countries.

FPCCI president added that these repeated blockages over the past five years have eroded the authority of the Pakistani government and led to a precarious law and order situation in the border area.