LANDI KOTAL: After a closure lasting nine days, the Torkham border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has officially reopened, allowing all forms of traffic to resume.
This border is vital for trade activities and is heavily used by individuals from both countries. It had been shut down due to confrontations involving border forces.
With the border now open, pedestrian movement has restarted, attracting hundreds of travelers to the immigration area for entry into Afghanistan.
According to Irshad Khan Mohmand, the assistant commissioner of Khyber district in Pakistan, trucks are currently undergoing clearance procedures, and Afghan citizens are entering Afghanistan after completing immigration processes.
An anonymous security official in Torkham revealed that a series of discussions between Pakistani and Afghan officials led to the resolution of the issue and the subsequent reopening of the border. The closure had resulted in thousands of loaded vehicles being stranded on either side of the border in northwestern Pakistan.
The root of the conflict lay in Pakistan’s claims that the Taliban administration had attempted to encroach on its territory by constructing an “unlawful structure.” Pakistan also accused Afghan forces of engaging in “indiscriminate firing.” In response, the Taliban foreign ministry stated that Pakistani security forces had fired upon its troops while they were renovating an old security outpost near the border. They criticized the closure of this crucial entry point for landlocked Afghanistan.
Relations between these neighboring nations have been strained on several occasions, particularly due to border disputes and Pakistan’s allegations that militants launch attacks into its territory from bases in Afghanistan. Afghan authorities have consistently denied these allegations.
The resolution was achieved following a meeting between Acting Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and the Head of the Pakistan Mission in Kabul, Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani. During this meeting, Afghan authorities assured Pakistan that Afghan soil would not be used against Pakistan.
The closure of Pakistan’s primary border crossing with Afghanistan on September 6 had led to a backlog of trucks laden with goods, a situation that has now been alleviated following the border’s reopening.
