Taliban Backs Continued Closure of Afghanistan–Pakistan Border

DID Press: Taliban Minister of Energy and Water, Abdul Latif Mansoor, has voiced support for keeping the Afghanistan-Pakistan border closed, despite Islamabad’s push to reopen crossings for the Pakistani fruit export season.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Mansoor said that Pakistan’s closure of border crossings over the past two months had caused significant spoilage of Afghan traders’ fruits and vegetables, inflicting heavy economic losses on the country.

Now that Pakistan’s fruit export season has arrived, Islamabad is reportedly attempting, through the mediation of the United Nations, Islamic countries, and influential individuals, to reopen the borders.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, had earlier noted that the UN had asked Islamabad to reconsider its decision to close the border with Afghanistan and suggested that essential goods and humanitarian aid could be allowed to pass.

Mansoor emphasized that many Afghan traders had contacted the Taliban administration requesting that the crossings remain closed so that Pakistan would experience the economic impact of its own border closures.

Taliban government “firmly supports” this position and recommended that similar measures continue to be applied toward Pakistan, he said.