Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to set up border markets

[Saiyan0321]

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to set up border markets​

2 countries' foreign ministers vow to boost local trade, economic activity in border regions​

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday agreed to establish “border sustenance markets” in the two countries to boost local trade and economic activity in the border regions.

The agreement was reached during a telephone conversation between Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Hanif Atmar, according to a Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement.

Highlighting Pakistan’s policy to strengthen trade between the two countries, Qureshi drew Atmar’s attention to the proposed markets, expressing hope for a formal pact on the markets soon.

Reiterating Pakistan’s consistent support for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, Qureshi said intra-Afghan dialogue provided a historic opportunity for the Afghan leadership to achieve an inclusive, broad-based, and comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan.

The comments came days after the new Biden administration announced that it will review the landmark Doha peace deal with the Taliban signed last February by then-President Donald Trump.

Expressing his concern over the high level of violence in Afghanistan, Qureshi said he hoped progress in the intra-Afghan talks will help reduce violence in the country.

There is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and a political settlement is the only way forward, he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to play a positive role in supporting the Afghan peace process and strengthening relations with Afghanistan.

Last February, the Taliban reached an agreement with Washington promising to end the lingering war in Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees. The agreement also guarantees the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the war-torn country by this May.

In December 2018, Pakistan also arranged rare direct talks between Washington and the Taliban, paving the way for the Doha peace deal between the two sides.

Pakistan also facilitated the landmark first round of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Islamabad in 2015.

*Written by Aamir Latif

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to set up border markets

2 countries' foreign ministers vow to boost local trade, economic activity in border regions - Anadolu Ajansı

www.aa.com.tr

 

[Saithan]

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to set up border markets​

2 countries' foreign ministers vow to boost local trade, economic activity in border regions​

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday agreed to establish “border sustenance markets” in the two countries to boost local trade and economic activity in the border regions.

The agreement was reached during a telephone conversation between Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Hanif Atmar, according to a Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement.

Highlighting Pakistan’s policy to strengthen trade between the two countries, Qureshi drew Atmar’s attention to the proposed markets, expressing hope for a formal pact on the markets soon.

Reiterating Pakistan’s consistent support for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, Qureshi said intra-Afghan dialogue provided a historic opportunity for the Afghan leadership to achieve an inclusive, broad-based, and comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan.

The comments came days after the new Biden administration announced that it will review the landmark Doha peace deal with the Taliban signed last February by then-President Donald Trump.

Expressing his concern over the high level of violence in Afghanistan, Qureshi said he hoped progress in the intra-Afghan talks will help reduce violence in the country.

There is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and a political settlement is the only way forward, he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to play a positive role in supporting the Afghan peace process and strengthening relations with Afghanistan.

Last February, the Taliban reached an agreement with Washington promising to end the lingering war in Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees. The agreement also guarantees the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the war-torn country by this May.

In December 2018, Pakistan also arranged rare direct talks between Washington and the Taliban, paving the way for the Doha peace deal between the two sides.

Pakistan also facilitated the landmark first round of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Islamabad in 2015.

*Written by Aamir Latif

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to set up border markets

2 countries' foreign ministers vow to boost local trade, economic activity in border regions - Anadolu Ajansı

www.aa.com.tr

This is the first step towards border security. Hindering different groups from traversing in and out as they want is a problem.

 

[Saithan]

Pakistan orders Afghan asylum seekers out of country by November​

• • Published
    4 hours ago

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IMAGE SOURCE,EPA
Image caption,
Pakistan has seen an influx of refugees from Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021
By Frances Mao
BBC News

Pakistan's government has ordered all unauthorised Afghan asylum seekers - an estimated 1.7 million people - to leave the country by November.
A spike in militant attacks along the two countries' border this year has escalated tensions.

Pakistan has blamed border crossing attacks on Afghanistan-based operatives - charges denied by the Taliban regime.
But it has fuelled resentment in Islamabad, which on Tuesday announced a crackdown on "illegal" migrants.

Last week, a blast at a mosque in Mastung city, near the border with Afghanistan, killed at least 50 people during a religious celebration.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti did not appear to directly reference that and another attack in Balochistan province when he announced the crackdown order on "illegal" Afghans on Tuesday.

The right to seek refuge in a foreign country is enshrined in international law. Pakistan has taken in hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees - particularly since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

About 1.3 million Afghans are registered as refugees while another 880,000 have received the legal status to remain, according to the UN.
But another 1.7 million people are in the country "illegally", claimed Mr Bugti on Tuesday - an apparent reference to those who have not yet gained refugee status.

He said those people would have to leave the country by the end of the month - whether voluntarily or through a forced deportation.
"If they do not go... then all the law enforcement agencies in the provinces or federal government will be utilised to deport them," he said according to state media reports. He did not provide further details on how such an operation would take place.

He also announced a taskforce aimed at identifying and confiscating private businesses and assets of "illegal" Afghans in the country.

In response, Afghan officials in Pakistan said local authorities had already begun rounding up Afghans - both those with and without legal status to remain.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, its embassy said more than 1,000 Afghans had been detained in the past two weeks.
Balochistan province near Pakistan's border is an area which has frequently been hit by armed fighters including the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, and the Islamic State militant group.

Earlier this month, at least 11 people - including a prominent Muslim leader - were injured in an explosion in the same district.
Local state outlet APP reported that Islamabad eventually wanted all Afghans in the country to leave - even those with legal status and Pakistan residence cards. It cited government sources for its report.

Mr Bugti said there had been 24 suicide bombings along Pakistan's border since January - more than half of which he blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan.

He announced tighter restrictions on Afghans entering Pakistan from 1 November - saying only visitors with visas and passports would be allowed in.

It has been custom for Afghans crossing into Pakistan at land borders to use their national identity cards as a travel document. There is a significant backlog of Afghans seeking documents to enter Pakistan - and obtaining visas and passports has turned into a months-long process.

Pakistan orders Afghan asylum seekers out of country by November

The Taliban urged Islamabad to rethink the move, which follows a spike in cross-border militant attacks.

www.bbc.com

i wonder if the refugees will be moved to the other side of the border, but still close to Pakistan ?