Kabul — A small but noticeable thaw may be taking shape on the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.
Earlier this week, officials in Islamabad floated the idea of sending a senior envoy back to Kabul. Nobody held a press conference, and no timeline was pinned to a calendar, yet word travelled fast. By Tuesday night, an Afghan foreign-ministry staffer confirmed Kabul had “taken note” and—yes—would welcome a proper channel of conversation.
That’s as far as anyone is willing to go in public. In private, aides sound guardedly hopeful.
“We fight over the same problems every year: border closures, refugees, cross-fire,” an Afghan diplomat said over the phone, lowering his voice so it wouldn’t carry down the tiled corridor. “Talking is cheaper than shutting the gates.”
Why the sudden soft tone?
Both capitals have headaches that won’t disappear on their own. Pakistan is wrestling with a spike in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Afghanistan, still locked out of most Western aid, needs trade routes that stay open more than it needs another shouting match.
A trader in Spin Boldak put it in simpler terms: “Trucks left standing cost me a day’s wages. If the big men shake hands, the gate swings faster.”
Quiet contacts
Officials on the Pakistani side hint that back-channel calls never really stopped, they just grew cold. Over the past month, a few of those calls warmed up again, helped along by middle-rank officers who know each other from earlier postings.
No one will confirm the name of the new envoy. One Islamabad insider said only that he “speaks Pashto, knows the border, and won’t need a map to find Jalalabad.” Kabul appears ready to receive him, but insiders caution that paperwork and protocol could stretch into summer.
Cautious street reaction
Inside Afghanistan, reaction has been subdued. Residents of Jalalabad tell visiting reporters they’ll believe in a reset when they see fewer delays at Torkham and cheaper tomatoes in local markets.
Across the line, in Chaman, shopkeeper Haji Wali Khan shrugged when asked about diplomatic upgrades. “Let them talk,” he said, folding a piece of cloth onto a shelf. “Just keep the crossing open during fruit season.”
The hard parts remain
Bigger issues still loom. Islamabad wants Kabul to act against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters it says are sheltering across the border. Kabul bristles at the accusation, insisting the problem is Pakistan’s to sort inside its own territory. Refugee returns, currency smuggling, and stalled road projects sit on the same crowded table.
Even so, a slight drop in volume is better than silence. As one Afghan analyst wrote on social media Wednesday night, “In this neighbourhood, whispers often matter more than speeches.”
For now, that whisper is simple: let’s talk.
