PESHAWAR: The Taliban on Wednesday announced to have arrested the border guards who removed Pakistani flag from trucks carrying relief goods to Afghanistan via Torkham Border crossing on Thursday.
The Taliban, in a statement, also apologised for hurting the feelings of Pakistanis.
The trucks were arrived in Afghanistan via Torkham point carrying essential supplies donated of Pakistan through in 17 trucks to help the Taliban cope with the food shortage in the war-riddles country.
Read more:
Taliban rejects allegations of PM Imran’s interference in Afghanistan
PM Imran Khan initiates talks with Taliban for inclusive Afghan govt
Taliban closes Torkham border crossing for pedestrians
On September 21, the relief goods handover ceremony was held at the Torkham border, during which Habibullah Khan, chairman of the Pak-Afghan Cooperation Forum, along with other Pakistani officials, handed over containers loaded with essential goods to Taliban leader Maulvi Mubariz Afghani. Addressing the ceremony, Habibullah Khan said that Pakistan to provide every possible support to the war and poverty-stricken country.
The Pakistan Afghan youth forum said in a Twitter post that trucks loaded with flour, cooking oil, rice, sugar and pulses arrived in Afghanistan, to help alleviate the impacts of food shortage and droughts. The initiative was undertaken by the Pak Afghan Cooperation Forum. Besides war, this year’s low-average rainfall in Afghanistan has led to very low production. The Afghan delegation at the ceremony thanked the Government of Pakistan for providing timely food aid.
However, when the trucks entered Afghanistan, the Taliban border guards stopped the vehicles and removed the Pakistani flag from the trucks. During this time, some of the Taliban fighters can be heard shouting to burn the flag.
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has strongly reacted to the incident saying that the entire cabinet of the Islamic Emirate was “saddened” by the removal of the Pakistani flag from the truck. “This incident must have hurt the feelings of the people of the neighboring country, for which we apologize. We want good relations with Pakistan,” he said.
Mujahid said that the officials involved in the incident have been arrested and will be punished according to the law of the Islamic Emirate.