Afghan members of the Taliban-Pakistan Jirga have confirmed that the Taliban has not agreed to Pakistan’s demand to halt construction near the Torkham border. The crossing has now remained shut for over 25 days after two rounds of Jirga meetings failed to reach a resolution.
On Tuesday, Afghan Jirga members told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has not accepted Islamabad’s condition to stop building facilities near the border. Pakistani Jirga members had urged the Taliban to suspend construction to allow the reopening of the crossing. Afghan representatives stated that they had relayed Pakistan’s request to the Taliban, but no agreement has been reached.
One Afghan Jirga member said, “The Taliban governor only mentioned that he would consult with his leaders, but local Taliban officials do not agree on halting the construction.”
Meanwhile, Taliban-affiliated media outlets, including Hurriyat, reported that Pakistan’s main condition for reopening the border is stopping military facility construction on Afghan soil. Taliban officials have called this condition a violation of national and international principles, labelling it interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Syed Jawad Hussain Kazemi, head of Pakistan’s negotiating delegation, confirmed that discussions had taken place and they were now awaiting the Taliban’s response.
The Taliban has not officially commented on Pakistan’s demands. Islamabad closed the border due to the Taliban’s construction of checkpoints and other facilities. Since the closure, multiple clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards have been reported.
