The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Taliban are working to resolve tensions with Pakistan and do not want the strained relationship between the two neighbors to continue, the group's chief spokesperson said Saturday, while accusing Islamabad of fueling the dispute through trade restrictions.
Speaking during a government media briefing titled
"Government in the Mirror of the Press," Taliban spokesperson
Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistan's policies, including border closures and
obstacles facing Afghan traders, had contributed to deteriorating ties.
"Pakistan's policies have been to close routes and
create obstacles for Afghan traders, which has itself caused tensions in
relations," Mujahid said. "We want these issues to be resolved. We do
not want the tensions to continue, and we do not believe their continuation
benefits either side."
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained
strained in recent months, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban of allowing
militant groups to operate from Afghan territory, an allegation the Taliban
have repeatedly denied.
During the briefing, Mujahid also highlighted what he
described as the Taliban government's economic achievements, particularly in
the mining sector. He said authorities had identified 45 new mineral sites
across 28 provinces over the past year and that more than 10 billion Afghanis
(about $140 million) had been invested in mining projects.
He said contracts had been signed during the current Islamic
year for the exploration and extraction of minerals including gold, marble,
chromite, coal, iron, lead, zinc and granite.
The claims drew criticism from some analysts, who questioned
the transparency of the Taliban's mining contracts.
Political analyst Asif Mobaligh said the Taliban, facing
international isolation, limited economic options and weak institutions, had
increasingly relied on non-transparent mining deals to address budget
shortfalls.
"The consequences of auctioning off and exporting
Afghanistan's natural resources in raw form will be borne by future
generations," Mobaligh said.
Mujahid also declined to disclose the Taliban government's
total budget, saying "certain considerations" prevented officials
from releasing the figures. He said, however, that the government had
sufficient funds to operate and pay the salaries of its approximately 1.04
million public employees on time.
He also cited a $46 million contract with an Indian company
to build and equip testing laboratories for Afghanistan's National Standards
and Quality Authority as one of the government's recent achievements.
