Mumtaz Zahra Baluch, spokesperson of Pakistan�s foreign ministry, reacted to the statement of the Afghanistan Foreign Ministry regarding the closure of Torkham crossing, saying that the statement comes as a "surprise as the Interim Afghan authorities know fully well the reasons for the temporary closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham."

Baluch said in a statement that Pakistan cannot accept the construction of any structures by "Interim Afghan Government inside its territory since these violate its sovereignty."

"On the 6th of September, 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," the statement claimed.

The statement claimed that 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," the statement reads.

Pakistan has continued to exercise restraint and prioritize dialogue in the face of persistent unwarranted provocations by Afghan troops deployed along the areas between

Afghanistan and Pakistan, she said in the statement.

"Temporary closures take place only in extreme cases such as the 6th September 2023 incident on the border or when Afghan soil is used to launch terror attacks inside Pakistan," the statement said.

However, she said that Islamabad is ready to resolve all bilateral issues and concerns through constructive dialogue.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/26933

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