LANDIKOTAL: According to The News, which cited government sources on Tuesday, discussions between Pakistani and Afghan border officials took place at the “zero point” at the Torkham border, but the discussions ended in failure.
Torkham Tehsildar Daud Afridi, Major Murad, and Major Bahlool were part of the Pakistani team under the leadership of Lt Col Rana Adnan Shafiq of the Frontier Corps. Qari Abdul Jabbar Hekmat, Qari Muhammad, Qari Rafiullah, and Maulvi Takal made up the Afghan side.
The restoration of vehicle and pedestrian traffic across the border was emphasized during the discussion as it covered a number of border-related concerns. The problem of passports and visas for the drivers and assistants of the vehicles was brought up by the Afghan side with the Pakistani authorities. In the greatest interests of businessmen, they requested that the conditions be loosened.
According to Afghan officials, it is against social and international conventions to halt trade activity at the Torkham border without prior notice, as this might lead to anxiety and discomfort for traders, patients, and other individuals.
They emphasized that such actions, which have an impact on more than just relations between neighbors, should not be repeated in the future. Ninety percent of Afghan drivers and patients, according to Afghan officials, lacked passports. They added that individuals with critical illnesses including cancer and other conditions were given preference when applying for passports and visas. They said that Pakistani authorities ought to permit patients on a humanitarian basis and that Afghan officials lacked the means to provide the documentation.
The reopening of the border and the growing complexity of visa requirements were grieved by the Afghan officials. They stated that Afghanistan desired friendly relations with Pakistan and that, should the border be closed without warning, Afghanistan would be forced to erect a wall at the border crossing at Torkham in order to permanently block access.
The Pakistani Embassy and consulates, according to the Afghan authorities, were allegedly refusing applications for visit visas without providing a justification. The execution of passport and visa criteria has been delayed since November 2, 2018, according to Lt Col Adnan, who addressed the Afghan officials. He claimed that when it came to this matter, Afghan authorities were not assisting their Pakistani colleagues.
He claimed that cancer patients have no trouble getting to Pakistani hospitals at all.He claimed that cancer patients have no trouble getting to Pakistani hospitals at all. The representative said he will forward the claims made by the Afghan side to the appropriate agencies, but Kabul had no interest in giving the Pakistani Embassy in Afghanistan information about Afghan drivers and their assistants.
