A man sits outside an auto parts store in a market near the ground zero border post between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo: AFP
SPIN BOLDAK:
Nearly three months after border clashes led to the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, hundreds of university students, traders and families remain stranded, unable to return home.
“We miss our parents and relatives,” said Shah Faisal, 25, who is studying medicine at an Afghan university and had planned to visit family in Pakistan during the winter break. But the border has been closed since October 12, leaving many people like him without the possibility of returning.
Flights are far too expensive for most, while using smuggling routes carries serious risks. Student representatives estimate that around 500 to 600 young people studying in Nangarhar province alone are waiting for the crossings to reopen.
“Both countries should open the road and allow students to visit their families,” said Shah Fahad Amjad, a 22-year-old medical student from Jalalabad. Others fear their visas or finances could soon become a problem if the impasse persists.
“The situation has caused problems for us, who are students in Afghanistan, but also for Afghans who are students in Pakistan,” said Barkat Ullah Wazir, 23, also a student in Jalalabad.
The border stretches more than 2,600 kilometers through rugged mountains. It is normally a busy corridor for communities with deep cultural, economic and family ties. The border has remained largely closed since the October clashes.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring terrorists who attack Pakistan, a problem that the Afghan Taliban, which took power in 2021, has not addressed. Mediation efforts have failed and both sides warn fighting could resume
