Closure of Pak-Afghan border building into humanitarian crisis, says Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan Saturday said the closure of Pak-Afghan border has been building into a humanitarian crisis, calling for cooperation from both sides on cross-border terrorism.

The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan was closed on February 16, hours after a bomb ripped through a shrine in interior Sindh leaving at least 80 people dead.

The suicide attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's shrine in Sehwan city of Sindh was part of a deadly wave of terror attacks in the country, and the fifth blast in less than a week targeting innocent people.

The Pak-Afghan border has since been closed due to security concerns and non-cooperation by Afghan authorities regarding devising an effective border management mechanism.

However, it is the PTI chairman who took to Twitter calling for reopening it to 'mitigate suffering of ordinary people on either side'.

"Closure of Pak-Afghan border is building into a humanitarian crisis. The two govts need to cooperate effectively on cross-border terrorism," he said.

He also urged authorities to allow individuals with valid travel documents to pass through the border.

"Those with valid travel documents & perishable goods should be allowed to cross border to mitigate suffering of ordinary ppl on both sides."

Terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan

Of late, Pakistan has also voiced concerns over terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, from where majority of last month's attacks were believed to be coordinated.

In February, Pakistani diplomatic officials summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission to the Foreign Office to convey their concerns over continuing attacks by terrorist outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar from its sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa also held a telephonic conversation with US General John Nicholson, Commander of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan on February 17, conveying his concerns over continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan from Afghanistan, the ISPR said in a statement.

"Most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations with leadership hiding in Afghanistan," Gen Bajwa told US General John Nicholson.

"The COAS said that such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing our current policy of cross-border restraint," the ISPR said in a statement.