A senior Taliban foreign ministry official warned on Sunday that escalating tensions with Pakistan threaten to erode regional confidence in cross-border connectivity projects, urging Islamabad to resolve disputes through dialogue.
Abdul Hai Qanit, head of the Taliban foreign ministry’s Center for Strategic Studies, told a panel at the Doha Forum that Afghanistan’s economic integration with its neighbours depends heavily on stable relations with Pakistan, where border crossings have remained closed for nearly two months amid repeated clashes.
“The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is very crucial for regional integration, since this problem deactivates the southern route of connectivity,” Qanit said. “Connectivity is only half-complete without Afghanistan being fully connected with Pakistan.”
Qanit said the Taliban administration had “from day one” sent messages favouring diplomacy and dialogue, adding that Afghanistan’s interest in maintaining positive ties with Pakistan “is greater than the risks we face.”
Recent border closures and trade disruptions, he said, had “weaponized geography” and turned trade routes into political leverage, a trend he warned could undermine wider regional economic plans linking South Asia and Central Asia.
“This threatens the very concept of regional integration,” he said. “The region will lose confidence in connectivity if these problems and crises continue for a long time.”
Qanit described the current rift as a “short-term crisis,” expressing hope that relations would return to a “positive track” and allow major infrastructure and transit projects to move forward.
Pakistan says the Taliban must act against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad claims operates from Afghan territory. The Taliban reject accusations that the group has a presence in Afghanistan, despite a UN monitoring report saying the TTP has thousands of fighters in the country.
