The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the statement issued by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, terming its renewed refusal to recognize the international border dividing Pakistan and Afghanistan as “irresponsible and unwarranted.”
The Afghan Foreign Ministry, on Friday, issued a statement in response to the inauguration of the 24-hour Torkham border crossing, inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this week.
Afghan Refusal to Recognize Durand Line
The Afghan Foreign Ministry stated, “The Torkham crossing in order to further help patients and facilitate trade between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will operate round the clock.”
https://twitter.com/thenatcour/status/1175332456104366080
The statement added, “The Afghan Government, appreciating Pakistan’s act on its commitment regarding round the clock operationalization of Torkham crossing, as always, emphasizes its stance on not recognizing the Durand Line as an official border between the two countries.”
In response, the Foreign Office issued a press release to reject the “irresponsible and unwarranted” statement issued at a time when Pakistan is eager to facilitate peace and stability in Afghanistan and across the region.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally inaugurated the Torkham border crossing, terming it as a “historic day” in the development of Pak-Afghan trade relations.
The statement noted, “While terming a recent statement of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs as irresponsible and unwarranted, Foreign Office spokesman stated that Pakistan- Afghan border is an internationally recognized, official border between the two countries in accordance with all relevant international laws and conventions.”
The Foreign Office added, “Pakistan believes that 24/7 opening of the Torkham point along Pakistan-Afghanistan border is a significant step forward to facilitate the people and traders of both sides.”
Pakistan rejects Kabul's statement of not recognizing Durand Line as border https://t.co/Tpe5Jps9XB #AFG pic.twitter.com/472ijFLhQ9
— 1TVNewsAF (@1TVNewsAF) September 21, 2019
Reminding its Afghan counterpart of the Pak-Afghan resolve to deepen bilateral cooperation, the Foreign Office stated, “However, such statements only serve to undermine the resolve for peace and cooperation between the two countries and should be avoided.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally inaugurated the Torkham border crossing, terming it as a “historic day” in the development of Pak-Afghan trade relations. The Premier noted that the opening of the 24-hour border crossing would “transform the lives of the people in this region.”
Read more: PM Imran Khan Inaugurates 24/7 Border Crossing at Torkham
He said that the increasing volume of Pak-Afghan would soon turn Peshawar into a regional hub of business activities, which will generate employment opportunities for people on both sides of the border. He added that as soon as peace is established in Afghanistan, the trade activities will extend as far as Central Asia.
The Premier had reiterated his stance to facilitate the Afghan Peace Process and stressed that the Taliban must be a part of the Afghan electoral process to achieve stability and peace.