• FO says Islamabad understands ‘economic pain’ caused by closures but security threat ‘existential’
• Can’t let ‘our people be killed indiscriminately’
• Scheduling of planned Turkish delegation’s visit in connection with Pak-Afghan conflict still awaited
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday said that the resumption of trade with Afghanistan depended on the Taliban regime ending cross-border terrorism, and also linked the fate of key regional energy projects to Kabul halting its support for terrorist groups.
“The onus of delay in the reopening of the border crossings rests with the Afghan Taliban regime,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said at a weekly media briefing.
Pakistan and Afghanistan’s bilateral trade, estimated at $1.6 billion to $1.8bn in 2023-24, with key border gateways like Torkham and Chaman handling most of the traffic, has been suspended since mid-October, following deadly clashes between Pakistani forces and Taliban fighters.
This suspension is estimated to be costing Afghan traders an estimated $2.5 million a day.
The impasse has pushed Kabul to increasingly rely on Iranian routes, including Chabahar, while risking the erosion of Pakistan’s roughly $1bn in annual transit fees in addition to its own trade losses.
Mr Andrabi said Pakistan had closed border crossings and suspended all trade because of “the support being extended to Fitna-al-Khawarij [FAK] and Fitna-al-Hindustan [FAH] terrorist elements by the Afghan Taliban regime”.
FAK is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while the Balochistan Liberation Army and other militant groups based in the province have been designated FAH to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.
‘Economic pain’
The FO spokesperson said Islamabad understood the economic pain caused by the closures but described the security threat as “existential”.
“If you recall, on November 10 and 15, the trade posts were actually attacked from Afghanistan. So, either we get ourselves killed, or we undertake a very risky trade. What is the choice?” he added.
“Carrying out trade has become risky. So, with respect to trade, the position remains the same as I outlined last week.”
Mr Andrabi said Islamabad had for years attempted to insulate trade from security tensions but that patience had run out.
“From 2022, 23, 24 and the mid of 25, we segregated trade and security. But then there is a threshold of patience. I think that threshold of patience has been crossed,” he continued.
The FO spokesperson noted that Islamabad could not allow trade to continue as if it were a “licence to kill Pakistanis from Afghan soil”.
He rejected suggestions that trade losses should override security concerns. “Can you put a price tag on a human life, a Pakistani life?” he said.
“Consider the people whose father, children, mother have been killed in these terrorist attacks. Can we convince them that look, let these killings continue because we are having an X amount of dollars of trade with Afghanistan?”
Regional projects
He also warned that major regional infrastructure projects including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000) depended on a shift in the Taliban’s conduct.
“The success of all these projects also depends on the Taliban regime halting its support and abetment of terrorist outfits operating from Afghan soil,” he said.
Calling this a central “denominator” of ties, Mr Andrabi said the Afghan Taliban must stop backing groups such as FAK, FAH and their affiliates, and prevent Afghan nationals from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.
“We are cognisant of the losses to Pakistani traders, who are suffering,” he said. “But now we cannot let our people be killed indiscriminately.”
Turkish delegation
The spokesperson said the scheduling of a planned Turkish delegation’s visit in connection with the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict was still awaited, despite Ankara’s announcement earlier this month that senior officials would travel to Islamabad for renewed mediation efforts.
The third round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, held under the Turkish-Qatari initiative, ended without an agreement on Nov 7 in Istanbul, leaving the ceasefire fragile amid continued TTP attacks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later announced on Nov 9 that a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin would visit Islamabad the following week to help secure a lasting ceasefire and work towards reopening trade routes.
Pakistan welcomed Ankara and Doha’s “sincere efforts” on Nov 14, but the delegation’s arrival is still awaited, amid reports of complexities in the process.
“This visit has not taken place. It is being scheduled. The travel schedules of ministers take time to firm up,” Mr Andrabi said.
He rejected suggestions that Islamabad’s lack of cooperation was causing delays.“The delay should not be attributed to any non-cooperation from Pakistan,” he said.“Whether there is any non-cooperation from the Afghan Taliban regime, I am not aware of it.”
The FO spokesperson said it was premature to comment on other mediation proposals, including those from Russia and Iran.
“Many states have offered mediation, and we appreciate the support of our friendly and brotherly countries,” he said.
“It is too early to comment on any specifics or other mediation offers. We will respond once we receive them.”
Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2025
