“If things go well, other activities will gradually be restored,” the government spokesperson said.
A sign with a cross indicating the pedestrian path is seen at the key border crossing as trucks carrying goods destined for Afghanistan queue, following clashes between security forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Torkham. PHOTO: ANADOLU
Authorities reopened a key border crossing with Afghanistan on Tuesday for the repatriation of Afghan nationals stranded after more than a month of border clashes between the two neighbors, which ended with a ceasefire before Eidul Fitr earlier this month, a government official said. Anadolu.
The Torkham border, which connects Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, was reopened a day after a “flag meeting” between the two sides, a provincial government spokesperson said.
The border – one of the two main crossing points between the two countries – was closed in late February following intense border clashes and a breakdown in bilateral relations, causing significant disruption to trade and movement.
“At this point, the [border] “The reopening is limited only to the repatriation of Afghan nationals detained for illegal stay in Pakistan,” said the spokesperson while refusing to give his name.
Learn more: China to continue mediation efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan
“If things go well, other activities, including commerce and travel of the general public, will gradually be restored,” he said.
Pakistan launched a nationwide campaign against illegal Afghan immigrants in 2023, arresting and repatriating thousands.
The latest round of border clashes began in late February, following a series of deadly attacks across Pakistan by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, for which Islamabad accused Afghanistan of sheltering them and failing to take action against them. Kabul denies these accusations.
This followed airstrikes by the Pakistani army targeting suspected TTP hideouts in Afghanistan.
According to Kabul, the airstrikes killed dozens of civilians, while Islamabad claimed that more than 500 TTP militants were killed in the strikes.
The two sides had agreed to a one-week ceasefire on the eve of Eidul Fitr on March 18, following requests from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Moreover, a major meeting of elders from Pakistan and Afghanistan opened today in Peshawar.
Participants called for the resumption of dialogue between the two neighbors after weeks of escalation in cross-border violence.
Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan share 18 border crossing points, the busiest of which are Torkham and southwest Chaman in Balochistan province.
