Kabul/Islamabad, 25 Feb. The main border crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan fully reopened this Saturday, after nearly a week of closure due to a clash between border forces, official sources from both countries told EFE.
“According to Torkham Pass officials, the gates are open today for all types of travelers and all forms of transit,” said Quraishi Badloon, director of information and culture for Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. .
A policeman from the Pakistani police station in Landi Kotal, Muhammed Ayaz, said for his part that “the door was opened today (…) after only the Afghans who were stuck on the side were allowed to pass yesterday. Pakistanis”.
The Taliban closed the Torkham crossing, which connects northern Pakistan to eastern Afghanistan and accounts for 65% of traffic between the two countries, last Sunday after a clash between border authorities left a Pakistani soldier injured.
According to Islamabad, the shooting erupted when his forces tried to limit the entry of escorts to patients for medical treatment arriving from Afghanistan, which was interpreted by the Taliban as a violation of their commitments on patient transit. Afghans.
The two sides agreed on Wednesday to reopen, after a high-level Pakistani delegation visited Kabul, although Torkham remained closed until today and the Taliban accused Pakistan of violating the OK.
The main victims of the closure are the thousands of Afghans traveling for health reasons to Pakistan, which prioritizes medical visas due to poor health coverage in Afghanistan, and the thousands of truckers stuck with their goods from both sides.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share more than 2,500 kilometers of border, on which they maintain an old dispute since Afghanistan does not accept the so-called Durand Line demarcation.
Border clashes between the two countries were already frequent before the Taliban came to power in August 2021. A clash in the Chaman border area left six civilians dead and 17 injured last December.
In addition, the two countries have seen an escalation of tension due to the resurgence of the insurgency in Pakistan, mainly by the main Pakistani Taliban group, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ally of the Afghan fundamentalists. EFE
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