ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's finance minister Shaukat Tarin said on Thursday his country would carry out bilateral trade with Afghanistan in Pakistani currency since the neighboring state was facing an acute shortage of US dollars since the withdrawal of international forces last month.
According to the local media, Tarin was briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and told its members that the administration in Islamabad was closely monitoring the situation in Kabul.
Economic experts and foreign currency traders in Pakistan had told Arab News earlier this month that Afghanistan's recent situation had put Pakistan's currency under pressure, adding that nearly $2 million were daily flowing out of their country to Afghanistan where the demand for US dollars had significantly increased.
"Tarin told the Senate committee that the government had decided to trade with Afghanistan in Pakistani currency, instead of dollars," Geo News reported. "He maintained that Afghanistan was facing shortage of dollars as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank had seized its reserves after the Taliban's takeover of the country."
The minister said "people could be sent from Pakistan to run various affairs in Afghanistan."
The Taliban have found it increasingly difficult to manage the affairs of the state after bringing Afghanistan under their military and political control.
Last month, the group asked former government functionaries not to "panic or try to go into hiding," saying they were required to run Afghanistan after the departure of foreign forces and nationals.
Pakistan to use national currency for bilateral trade with Afghanistan — Shaukat Tarin
https://arab.news/nm7zq
Pakistan to use national currency for bilateral trade with Afghanistan — Shaukat Tarin
- Afghanistan has been facing an acute shortage of US dollars since foreign forces left it last month
- Pakistan's finance minister said his country could also send people to run various affairs in Afghanistan
At least 13 civilians killed in Pakistan strikes in Afghanistan, UN says
- Pakistan said it launched the strikes after blaming recent suicide attacks on militants operating from Afghan territory
- The reported toll adds to fears of a renewed cycle of retaliation between the neighbors, threatening a fragile ceasefire
ISLAMABAD/KABUL: At least 13 civilians were killed and seven injured in Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Monday, as cross-border tensions escalated following a string of suicide bombings in Pakistan.
The reported toll adds to fears of a renewed cycle of retaliation between the neighbors, threatening a fragile ceasefire along their 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier and further straining ties as both sides trade blame over militant violence.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it had received “credible reports” that overnight Pakistani airstrikes on February 21–22 killed at least 13 civilians and injured seven in the Behsud and Khogyani districts of Nangarhar province.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid earlier reported dozens killed or wounded in the strikes, which also hit locations in Paktika province. Reuters could not independently verify the reported toll.
Pakistan said it launched the strikes after blaming recent suicide attacks, including during Ramadan, on militants operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan’s information ministry in a post on X said the “intelligence-based” operation struck seven camps of the Pakistani Taliban and Daesh (Islamic State) Khorasan Province and that it had “conclusive evidence” the militant assaults on Pakistan were directed by “Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers.”
Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing militants to use Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan.
The strikes took place days after Kabul released three Pakistani soldiers in a Saudi-mediated exchange aimed at easing months of tensions along the border.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry condemned the strikes and called them a violation of sovereignty and international law, saying an “appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time.” The Afghan foreign ministry said it had summoned Pakistan’s ambassador.
In a statement on the February 21-22 strikes, Afghanistan’s education ministry said eight school students; five boys and three girls, were killed in Behsud in Nangarhar province, and one madrasa student injured in Barmal in Paktika province, adding that dozens of other civilians were killed or wounded and educational centers destroyed. Reuters could not independently verify the information.
The latest strikes follow months of clashes and repeated border closures that have disrupted trade and movement along the rugged frontier.
