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CHAMAN/BALOCHISTAN: Hajji Abdul Bari Achakzai’s office wears a deserted look. The empty chairs in his office in the southwestern Pakistani city of Chaman reflect the impact that border closures, triggered by clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, have had on bilateral trade in both countries.

Pakistan and Afghanistan saw fierce fighting on Oct. 11, when Afghan forces struck multiple Pakistani military posts. Afghanistan officials claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in response to what they said were repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace. Pakistan’s military gave lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” during retaliatory fire along the border.

The clashes caused border closures between Pakistan and Afghanistan last week, through the northwestern border crossing in Torkham and southwestern Chaman crossing in Balochistan, effectively halting trade and the movement of people between the two countries.

Seventy-year-old Achakzai’s family has been in the business of importing and exporting goods from Chaman since the past 60 years. The border closures have taken a toll on his business and affected Chaman, he said.

“Due to these repeated border closures, Chaman has reached near-total unemployment,” Achakzai told Arab News on Saturday.

Pakistan is a key exporter of goods, mainly fresh fruits, rice, flour and other edible items to Afghanistan, while it imports dry fruits and other scrap material from the country.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the administration in Kabul of failing to take action against militant outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which it alleges carry out attacks targeting Pakistan from Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegations.

The TTP have become emboldened since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, carrying out attacks against Pakistani security forces. These attacks have caused repeated clashes between Pakistani and Afghan border forces, triggering frequent border closures.

Both countries agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Saturday, though tensions remain heightened, amid closure of border crossings.

As per the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), the annual Pakistan-Afghan trade volume has declined from $2.5 billion dollars to $10 million during the last two fiscal years.

Apart from Torkham in the northwest, the Chaman–Spin Boldak crossing is one of the busiest and most strategically important trade routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Chaman used to be a key route for trade between Kabul-Karachi and Hirat-New Delhi and this transit point remained a source of income for us,” Achakzai noted.

Zia Ul Haq Sarhardi, senior vice president of the PAJCCI, said recent tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are causing losses worth billions of rupees that cannot be estimated accurately. He described the escalation in tensions as a “major tragedy.”

“I don’t see the border will reopen easily this time because the Pak-Afghan bilateral relations have been worsening,” Sarhardi said.

Muhammad Ayoub Meerani, president of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) in Balochistan’s capital city, blamed the Pakistani government’s policies for declining trade with Afghanistan. 

“Afghanistan’s landlocked market has moved away from us and into the hands of Iran, Uzbekistan, and other countries,” Meerani told Arab News.

“Even small, perishable items are not being exported from here causing millions of dollars’ damages to the business community of Balochistan.”

He called on both countries to end their conflict and for border trade to resume.

DESERTED MARKETS

Local traders remain busy hunting for customers in Chaman, where Naimatullah Achakzai, 36, runs a shop selling dry fruits on Taj Road.

“The market is almost dead,” he said. “Around 60 percent of the goods in our shop come from Afghanistan, like almonds, raisins, cashews, walnuts, and all kinds of dry fruits. We bring them from across the border and supply them throughout Pakistan.”

He warned that if the situation persists, around 2 million people in Chaman and Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak border town would be “devastated.”

Hajji Jamal Shah Achakzai, president of the traders’ association in Chaman district, agreed.

“Our entire livelihood depends on the border. Goods that used to go out and come in from the border are now almost non-existent,” he said.

“Chaman has suffered heavy losses. If the situation continues, people will start migration from this bordering town.”

ISLAMABAD: Foreign affairs and security analysts on Sunday said the durability of a ceasefire reached between Pakistan and Afghanistan depends on the Taliban’s ability to rein in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), warning that any failure could force Islamabad to act against the militant group and further harm bilateral ties.

Pakistan and Afghanistan reached a ceasefire agreement in Doha on Saturday night after days of fierce clashes ad airstrikes between the two sides, which killed dozens of people on both sides and pushed already frayed relations between the neighbors to a new low.

Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harboring militant groups such as the TTP and the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which carry out attacks against its security forces and civilians. Kabul denies the allegations, but the issue has remained a major sticking point between the two countries.

Border clashes erupted between the neighbors on Oct. 11 after Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Kabul following the killing of a dozen Pakistani soldiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. The skirmishes and strikes continued intermittently before the two sides reached a ceasefire in Doha.

“It really depends on the Taliban as the ball is now in their court after they gave an understanding and undertaking in the presence of Turkish and Qatari officials,” Brig. (retired) Masud Ahmad Khan, a security analyst, told Arab News.

“It is the Taliban’s responsibility, but I have doubts since they do not have full control and there is a strong possibility that the TTP may reject their demands or proposals.”

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have sharply deteriorated over a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions. The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) long, porous known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never recognized.

The TTP, which has had a close relationship with the Afghan Taliban, has been behind some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan since late 2000s. The group has stepped up its attacks against Pakistani security forces and law enforcement agencies since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.

Khan believed that Pakistan will not further tolerate cross-border attacks originating from Afghanistan, which have completely suspended trade between the two countries.

“The rules of engagement are clear,” he said. “Pakistan will strike there, if the attacks continued.”

The two sides agreed that the series of “terrorist activities from Afghanistan on Pakistani soil” will cease immediately, according to Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif who was part of the peace talks in Doha. Both countries agreed to respect each other’s territory.

Former Pakistani foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry called the ceasefire a welcome development but expressed doubts about its sustainability, citing the Afghan Taliban’s “past record of not honoring such commitments.”

“Their past record is such that they have often violated the agreements, but I hope that this time they will honor this agreement because peace will serve both countries,” he said, adding that India has used Afghanistan’s soil for creating trouble in Pakistan and there is “documentary evidence” of it.

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing the use of its soil and India of backing militant groups for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied these allegations.

Asif Durrani, another former Pakistani diplomat, said Pakistan “cannot lower its guard” and has to respond if attacks continued.

“Afghanistan is a sovereign state and can have relations with any country, but Pakistan would be justified in expecting Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used by India against Pakistan,” he told Arab News, adding that Islamabad has faced a “two-front situation” for the past two decades and has the capacity to tackle it if forced upon.

Dr. Qamar Cheema, executive director of the Sanober Institute think tank that focuses on South Asia affairs, said the key issue is whether the Afghan Taliban can control the TTP.

“Their [Afghan Taliban] failure to do so will seriously question the regime’s legitimacy, control and sovereignty in its own territory,” he said.

Cheema noted that Afghanistan is a landlocked country and depends upon Pakistan for the import and export of goods.

“It ultimately depends on whether the Afghan government chooses cooperation with Pakistan or allows non-state actors to hold its people and government hostage,” he added.