Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Islamabad could open a transit route along the Durand Line to allow United Nations humanitarian aid to reach Afghanistan.
In a Saturday, November 29, interview with journalists in Islamabad, Mr. Dar said the United Nations has formally requested that Pakistan grant permission to resume the delivery of humanitarian goods to Afghanistan.
It should be noted that, after the escalation of tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan in early October, Pakistan closed the transit routes with Afghanistan, including Chaman‑Spin Boldak and Torkham.
On the other side, Mr. Dar, speaking with journalists in Islamabad (Saturday), said that the United Nations had requested that Pakistan reconsider granting permission for the delivery of humanitarian aid (food items), which is currently stalled.
Mr. Dar added, “In such a situation there is no element of coercion that would prevent us (by our own decision) from reconsidering,” but he also said in his remarks that he has spoken with the chief of Pakistan’s armed forces about granting permission for the transport of essential food items “only for the Afghan people,” and that he will also discuss the matter with the prime minister.
He says his hope is that a “positive step will be taken” in this matter and that it will be carried out. Mr. Dar adds: “The armed forces are also involved in border management, so I have consulted with them (and obtained their consent). I spoke with the army chief yesterday, and with the prime minister, who is abroad on a trip, after discussions, God‑willing, we will grant permission for the delivery of essential food aid for the Afghan people, and we hope to provide it by tomorrow.”
On the other hand, a source within the Taliban government in Afghanistan told that the Pakistani side has not yet said anything about opening the border to its commissioners or border police.
According to the source, when Pakistan opens a route, it usually contacts Taliban officials a day in advance.
After the crisis with Afghanistan, Pakistan closed the routes along the Durand Line, which left thousands of refugees who were being transferred from Pakistan to Afghanistan stranded on the Pakistani side.
Pakistan shut down all routes with Afghanistan on October 11, following the bloody clashes, during which both sides accused each other of killing dozens of their soldiers.
After the routes were closed, thousands of Afghan refugees—together with hundreds of cargo trucks carrying goods, were left stranded, and the main trade corridors between the two countries were blocked.
In early November, Taliban government officials said that Pakistan had partially opened the Torkham crossing with Afghanistan so that the thousands of stranded Afghan refugees along the Durand Line could return to their homes.
Pakistan is now, after several weeks, only discussing the opening of a route with Afghanistan for humanitarian aid. Earlier, on 13 November, the Taliban government’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, held a meeting in Kabul and urged all Afghan traders and industrialists to look for alternative trade routes instead of relying on Pakistan.
