Anwar al-Haq Kakar, interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, has said recently that there is no central government in Afghanistan.
Mr Kakar, Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister for the past month, asserted in a recent interview with Pakistani media that the Taliban government in Afghanistan lacks legitimacy.
Anwar al-Haq Kakar’s exclusive interview with a media outlet known as “Aaj” was published on Monday. In this interview, he talked about the expulsion of illegal Afghan migrants from Pakistan.
The interim Prime Minister of Pakistan emphasises that Afghanistan has no central government.
Pakistan has historically been considered a close ally of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. During the first period of the Taliban regime rule from 1996 to 2001, Pakistan was one of the three countries that officially recognized their government.
However, the resurgence of the Taliban administration after two decades has been accompanied by complexities, and even this close ally has not only refrained from recognizing it but also deemed it an illegitimate government, according to Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
Recently, the relations between the Taliban administration and the Pakistan government have deteriorated. As a result, the Torkham crossing border has been shut down.
Pakistani officials said that they cannot accept the construction of any structure by the Taliban government across the border.
“Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures by the Interim Afghan Government inside its territory since these violate its sovereignty. On September 6, instead of a peaceful resolution, Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, targeting Pakistan military posts, damaging the infrastructure at the Torkham Border Terminal, and putting the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan civilians at risk when they were stopped from erecting such unlawful structures,” Pakistani Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“Such unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Pakistani border posts cannot be justified under any circumstances. The unprovoked firing by Afghan border security forces invariably emboldens the terrorist elements. As confirmed by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, these elements enjoy sanctuaries inside Afghanistan in its latest report,” the statement added.
Afghan officials argue that Pakistan’s closure of the Torkham border crossing, coinciding with the arrival of Afghan agricultural products and fruits, goes against previous agreements, customary law, and international commitments.
This move by Pakistan, stemming from border skirmishes, not only disrupts Afghanistan’s trade and regional economy, which is heavily reliant on exports. It has also led to tragic casualties, including four Afghan children, two Taliban fighters, and two Pakistani military personnel losing their lives.
