FC soldier injured by fire from Afghanistan during repatriation of Afghan citizens
Pakistan has not suspended the transit trade agreement with Afghanistan, but it has not carried out customs clearance of goods due to border closures to avoid traffic jams at the Chaman and Torkham borders, senior Pakistani customs officials said. Photo: Reuters
KHYBER:
The Pakistan-Afghanistan border post at Torkham, which was briefly reopened after almost a month to facilitate the deportation of undocumented Afghan nationals, was closed again following a cross-border firing incident that injured a Frontier Corps (FC) soldier.
Officials said the terminal was opened on Wednesday to repatriate Afghan citizens detained under Article 14 of the Foreigners’ Law for lack of valid documents. During the initial phase, around 292 Afghan nationals were returned to Afghanistan.
However, the process was interrupted when firing was reported from the Afghan side, seriously injuring an FC personnel. In response, authorities immediately closed the crossing and withdrew deployed personnel for security reasons.
Sources said arrangements had been made at a temporary detention camp in Landi Kotal to facilitate the repatriation process, and further expulsions of illegally residing Afghan nationals were expected. However, the operation was suspended following the latest incident.
The Torkham border had been closed since February 24 amid tensions and intermittent clashes between Pakistani security forces and agents of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
A similar escalation was seen on October 11, 2025, when armed clashes broke out at several points along the border, leading to a suspension of bilateral trade and a complete halt to cross-border movements.
Officials said efforts were underway to resume the repatriation process, but any decision on reopening the crossing would depend on the current security situation.
