Taliban Urge Afghans to Seek Medical Treatment at Home

DID Press: Amid escalating border tensions and the closure of crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, head of Afghanistan’s 400-Bed Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan Military Hospital has called for Afghan patients to stop seeking medical treatment in Pakistan and instead rely on healthcare services inside the country—claiming that domestic treatment is part of “independence and the Islamic system.” The appeal comes as thousands of patients have been severely affected by the prolonged border shutdown.

Tahir Abrar, director of the 400-Bed Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan Hospital, said on Friday, Nov. 14, during a meeting at Uruzgan Provincial Hospital, that Afghan patients should no longer travel to Pakistan for treatment. Emphasizing the need to expand medical capacity inside Afghanistan, he said: “The meaning of independence and the Islamic system is that we provide treatment for our people inside the country.”

His comments come at a time when all border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been closed following recent clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces. The shutdown has disrupted not only trade but also the movement of patients who depend on Pakistani medical facilities. Although the Torkham crossing has recently reopened for the exit of Afghan migrants, Taliban authorities have announced that it remains closed for patients and regular travelers.

The continued border closures and the inability of patients to access medical care in Pakistan have become a growing concern for Afghan families. The Taliban administration’s renewed calls for internal treatment come amid increasingly difficult conditions for those in need of urgent medical care.