Traders & Drivers In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protest Closure Of Torkham Crossing

Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova made the remarks at a press briefing, saying Moscow was prepared to take part in or mediate efforts aimed at reducing tensions and promoting long-term regional stability.

Zakharova said the growing strain between Pakistan and the Taliban was a concern not only for Russia but for the wider international community. She noted that Moscow stood with its regional partners in supporting dialogue.

Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have previously called on Islamabad and the Taliban to continue talks, stressing that disputes should be resolved through diplomatic channels to safeguard regional security.

Moscow’s latest appeal follows the collapse of a third round of talks between Pakistan and the Taliban in Istanbul, which ended without progress.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, later said the negotiations had reached a complete deadlock and that no further talks were planned. He said the delegation’s return “empty-handed” suggested that even the mediators had lost confidence in the process.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid subsequently confirmed the failure of the Istanbul talks. In a post on X on 8 November, he said the discussions had “produced no result,” adding that the Taliban administration would not allow Afghan territory to be used against any other country.

The agency said support will now be limited to vulnerable returnees and holders of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

In a statement issued on Saturday, UNHCR said worldwide financial pressures had affected its ability to deliver humanitarian aid. The agency confirmed that cash support for Afghan returnees was restricted beginning on Friday.

According to the announcement, only Afghans registered with UNHCR or holding PoR cards will be eligible for the reduced assistance. The agency acknowledged the hardships facing Afghan families and said broader support would resume if additional funding becomes available.

The reduction in aid comes as Pakistan intensifies its campaign to expel Afghan migrants, with authorities reportedly removing around 7,000 people in a single day. Human rights groups have criticised the mass deportations, and UN experts have warned of severe humanitarian consequences, urging Pakistan to adhere to its international obligations.

Iran is also deporting thousands of Afghan migrants each day. The UN Security Council has noted that efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance inside Afghanistan have become increasingly complicated as neighbouring countries continue to force out Afghan nationals.

The governor’s office said on Friday that Mukhtar, leading a delegation, visited border areas near Babrak Tana adjacent to Pakistan.

According to the statement, Mukhtar described the defence of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and population as a “sacred responsibility” and urged border personnel to perform their duties with vigilance and integrity.

The visit comes as relations between the Taliban and Pakistan reach one of their highest points of strain and mistrust. Recent talks between the two sides in Türkiye ended without progress, while trade and transit routes have been closed for more than a month with no indication of reopening.

Taliban fighters have clashed with Pakistani border forces more than 15 times over the past four years. In the second half of September 2024, relations between the Taliban and Islamabad deteriorated to their lowest level since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. In a highly unusual development, Pakistani aircraft recently entered Kabul’s airspace and struck targets in the Afghan capital.

Following the failure of negotiations, concerns have increased over the possibility of renewed border confrontations.

During the visit, he said local residents were not responsible for Pakistan’s security problems, adding that militants crossing the Durand Line were behind recent violence.

Naqvi said the primary threat to Pakistan’s security came from individuals entering the country from the Afghan side of the border. He said the attackers in both the Wana incident and the recent suicide bombing in Islamabad had come from outside Pakistan, insisting that local communities were not involved.

At least 12 people were killed and 27 wounded on Tuesday in a suicide attack near the Islamabad Judicial Complex. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility.

On Monday, gunmen attacked Wana Military College in South Waziristan, killing at least three people. Naqvi said both attacks were carried out with the involvement of Afghan nationals.

Speaking to tribal elders at the Wana campus, he said senior Pakistani officials, including himself, the foreign minister and the defence minister, had already raised the issue of cross-border militancy with the Afghan Taliban. He said Islamabad had repeatedly urged the Taliban to act against groups using Afghan territory to threaten Pakistan’s security.

Naqvi reiterated that local residents were not implicated in recent attacks, adding that none of the recent incidents had been carried out by Pakistani citizens.

In recent weeks, senior Pakistani officials and Taliban representatives have met three times in Qatar and Turkiye, though the discussions have produced no breakthrough. Pakistan has called on the Taliban to curb militant activity affecting its territory, while the Taliban argue that Pakistan’s security challenges are internal matters and that they lack the capacity to address them.

Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban government remain tense. Trade and transit routes between the two countries have been closed for more than a month, with no indication of reopening or a return to normal ties.

During the one-day visit, Azizi is scheduled to tour the port of Chabahar and take part in a joint Iran–Afghanistan economic meeting in Hirmand.

Azizi was received at the border on Saturday by Mansour Bijar, the governor of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province. Speaking to ISNA, Bijar said expanding bilateral cooperation would help support sustainable development and regional security. He added that shared cultural, religious and linguistic ties could facilitate increased trade and investment.

The visit comes after Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, urged Afghan traders to find alternatives to Pakistan’s ports and markets. Baradar ordered an immediate halt to medicine imports from Pakistan and directed the Taliban Finance Ministry to give traders a three-month deadline, after which such imports would no longer be cleared at customs.

Afghanistan’s annual trade volume with Iran is estimated at about $4 billion, a figure that could rise if commercial ties with Pakistan remain severed. The Taliban have said they intend to replace Pakistan’s ports, including Karachi, with Iran’s ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas.

Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, a former Afghan finance minister, told Afghanistan International that Iranian ports are not more cost-effective than Pakistan’s, saying the cost of importing and exporting goods through Iran is 20–30 per cent higher. He noted that transporting goods to Afghanistan’s central and eastern provinces, such as Kabul and Nangarhar, would not be economical. However, he said Pakistan has repeatedly restricted trade routes, prompting the Taliban to search for alternatives.

Ahady also cited US sanctions on Chabahar, arguing that Iranian ports are not fully reliable for cargo transit. He said the Lapis Lazuli Corridor remains Afghanistan’s most dependable route for foreign trade.

Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated. Trade and transit routes between the two countries have been closed for more than a month, with no signs of reopening or normalisation.