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Express Tribune
19-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Torkham border reopens after month-long closure
Listen to article The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened on Wednesday after being closed for nearly a month, facilitating the resumption of trade between the two countries. The border was shut on February 21, following Afghan authorities' initiation of 'trench construction and development work' along the border, which Pakistani forces had cited as the reason for halting movement and trade. Torkham serves as the primary transit point for goods and travelers between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2024, bilateral trade exceeded $1.6 billion, according to Pakistan's foreign office. Naheed Khan, a senior police official in Pakistan's Khyber district, confirmed the reopening of the Torkham gate for transport, while Afghan customs agent Hazrat Nabi Toor verified that trucks could once again cross the border. Hajji Hikmatullah, the Afghan commissioner at Torkham, said the reopening would allow trucks stuck on either side of the border to resume their journeys. He added that passenger movement through the crossing would begin on Friday. Hikmatullah called for both countries to create a "comprehensive strategy" to separate political issues from trade, encouraging stronger economic ties. Asghar Ali, a Pakistani customs agent, noted that hundreds of trucks, carrying goods such as fruits and vegetables, began heading toward the border immediately following the announcement of the reopening. He stressed that the border closure had caused significant financial losses for businesses. The closure had resulted in millions of dollars in losses for traders, with the border frequently shut due to clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces in the past. Last month, tensions over the Torkham closure led to a skirmish that injured three Pakistani civilians. The reopening comes amid ongoing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, largely due to an uptick in militant attacks in Pakistan's western provinces near the Afghan border as Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of harboring militants responsible for these cross-border attacks, though Afghan officials have denied the allegations.
Arab News
19-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Key Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing reopens after nearly a month
PESHAWAR: The key Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened on Wednesday after remaining closed for nearly a month, officials from both sides confirmed, paving the way for the resumption of trade between the countries. Pakistan closed the border crossing on Feb. 21 after Afghan authorities initiated 'construction of trenches and other development work' along the border, Pakistani forces had said. This led to the suspension of cross-border trade and movement between the two sides. The Torkham border crossing is the main transit artery for travelers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. Trade between the two countries was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024, according to Pakistan's foreign office. 'The Torkham gate has been reopened for transport,' Naheed Khan, a senior police official in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber district, told Arab News. Hazrat Nabi Toor, an Afghan customs clearing agent, confirmed that the gate at the Torkham border had been opened for the movement of trucks to and from Afghanistan. Hajji Hikmatullah, the Torkham gate commissioner in Afghanistan, told Arab News earlier that the reopening of the crossing would help trucks stranded on both sides of the border in reaching their destinations. 'The Torkham route between Pakistan and Afghanistan that remained closed will reopen today at around 4:00 p.m. while passengers' movement through the border will start from Friday,' he added. Hikmatullah urged both countries to work out a 'comprehensive strategy' to separate politics from business to foster stronger economic ties. Asghar Ali, a Pakistani customs clearing agent, told Arab News that upon hearing the news of the border reopening, hundreds of vehicles loaded with vegetables, fruits and other non-perishable items started moving toward the crossing point at the border. 'This border closure inflicted millions of dollars of losses on businessmen,' Ali said. 'Trade should not suffer in diplomatic and political wars between the two countries.' Border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces have led to the closure of key crossings like Torkham and Chaman in the past, severely disrupting trade and halting the movement of people between the two countries. Last month, the Torkham closure escalated into a skirmish between the two border forces, leaving three Pakistani civilians wounded, a Pakistani police official said. The development comes at a time of strained ties between Kabul and Islamabad over a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan's western provinces that border Afghanistan. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist Pakistan resolve its security matters internally.
Arab News
03-03-2025
- Arab News
Three Pakistani civilians injured as Afghan, Pakistani forces trade fire at Torkham border crossing
PESHAWAR: Three Pakistani civilians were wounded in an exchange of gunfire between Pakistani and Afghan forces at the Torkham border crossing, a police official said on Monday, amid an ongoing dispute between the two sides over construction work along the border that has kept the vital crossing shut for nearly two weeks. Torkham serves as a vital corridor for transporting goods from Pakistan to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. Pakistan closed the border crossing in its northwestern Khyber district on Feb. 21 when Afghan authorities initiated 'construction of trenches and other development work' along the border. The tense situation escalated into a skirmish between the two border forces at Torkham in the wee hours of Monday, according to Naheed Khan, a senior police official in the Khyber district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that connects with Afghanistan. 'Both border forces traded fire last night at around 1:00am, using small and heavy weapons, which left three civilians injured. Some vehicles were damaged on the Pakistani side,' Khan told Arab News. 'Most of the families living near the border area have left toward Landikotal, a town close to the Torkham, to avoid casualties.' Pakistani and Afghan officials have held at least two rounds of talks at Torkham, but negotiations between the two sides have failed to yield any results. The busy crossing currently wears a deserted look and thousands of trucks and vehicles carrying goods, including fruits and vegetables, have been stranded on both sides since the closure of the border, according to Asghar Ali, a Pakistani custom clearing agent, told Arab News. 'People living on both sides of the border, businessmen, passengers and truckers are greatly discouraged due to frequent closure and reopening of this border. We have no expectations from Pakistani and Afghan officials to settle their issues amicably,' Ali said. 'They are living in constant enmity, which has no room in today's world. Let the people do their business and feed their families.' Kiftan Bacha, an Afghan custom clearing agent, said the closure of border has greatly troubled travelers, specifically patients, while several truckloads of perishable items have been wasted. 'Most of the passengers and trucks even went back to Kabul after waiting for days and even a week for reopening of the border,' he added. In the past, border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces have led to the closure of key crossings like Torkham and Chaman, severely disrupting trade and halting the movement of people between the two countries. On Sunday, Afghan consul-general in Peshawar Mohibullah Shakir met KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to discuss bilateral trade, regional peace and security, and issues faced by Afghan nationals residing in the northwestern Pakistani province, according to KP CM's office. 'Discussion took place at the meeting on the difficulties faced by traders and common people on both sides due to the closure of the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham,' Gandapur said in a statement. '[Both figures] agreed on efforts to open the border as soon as possible in view of the month of Ramadan and the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr.' The development comes at a time of strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan over a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan's western provinces that border Afghanistan. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan's security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad. 'The closure of the border is not in the interest of the people on both sides, it is causing difficulties to the business people as well as the common people,' CM Gandapur was quoted as saying by his office. 'There is a need to open the border as soon as possible in view of the difficulties faced by the people.' Gandapur's statement came hours after the KP administration urged Pakistani federal authorities to approve the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for its talks with Afghanistan on surging militancy 'as soon as possible.' The KP government said in February that it had decided to send two delegations, comprising tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders, to Kabul to engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban rulers for peace and stability in the province. It followed a statement by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in which he said the security situation in the region was directly linked to 'developments in neighboring Afghanistan,' following a consultative meeting of various religious and political parties in the province. However, Pakistan's foreign office said it was not informed of KP's decision to engage in talks with Kabul, adding that external ties with another country fell under the federal government's jurisdiction.
Arab News
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Key Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing remains shut for fifth day over ‘construction' dispute
PESHAWAR: The key Torkham border crossing connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan remained shut for trade and traffic for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, a senior police official confirmed, as a dispute between both sides related to 'construction' work lingers on. Pakistani authorities closed the Torkham border crossing late Friday night when Afghan authorities initiated 'construction of trenches and other development work' along the border, Naheed Khan, a senior police official in Pakistan's Khyber district that borders Afghanistan said. Border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces have led to the closure of key crossings like Torkham and Chaman in the past, severely disrupting trade and halting the movement of people between the two countries. Khan said both sides held two rounds of talks at Torkham recently but negotiations between border officials failed to yield any results. 'Now it is highly likely that the issue will be taken up for high-level discussions between Islamabad and Kabul,' Khan told Arab News. The police official said some families from Bacha Mina, a dusty town on the Torkham border's outskirts on the Pakistani side, had already left the area out of fear of a skirmish the two between border forces. He said most trucks loaded with perishable items had returned to Landi Kotal and Jamrud Bazaar towns in Pakistan near Torkham. There was no immediate comment from the Afghan side on the closure of the key border crossing. Kiftan Bacha, an Afghan customs clearing agent, told Arab News that fruits and vegetables laden on trucks on Afghanistan's side were being spoiled due to the border closure. 'Passengers and especially patients suffer the most,' Bacha said. 'Authorities on both sides should at least allow patients to cross the border for immediate treatment in Pakistan.' Zarqeeb Shinwar, a Pakistani customs clearing agent agreed, calling on both countries to seek a permanent solution to the dispute. 'Its [border] closure creates a logistical crisis, discouraging trade and causing immense problems for travelers,' Shinwar told Arab News. 'Both sides need to explore its immediate and permanent solution to alleviate problems of people living in border areas.' The development comes at a time of strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan over a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan's western provinces that lie on its border with Afghanistan. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan's security issues are the country's internal matter. In August, the Torkham border was shut down for three days after the Afghan Taliban announced they were investigating reports of Pakistani fighter jets allegedly violating Afghanistan's airspace in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. Tensions escalated again between the two countries in December, following reports of Pakistani airstrikes targeting alleged militant camps in Afghanistan. Afghan officials reported that the strikes resulted in civilian casualties.
Arab News
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan closes key border crossing with Afghanistan over ‘construction of trenches' by Taliban authorities
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has closed a key crossing on its northwestern border with Afghanistan over the 'construction of trenches' near the frontier, a Pakistani police official said on Sunday, which has led to the suspension of cross-border movement. The Torkham border crossing was closed late on Friday night, when Afghan Taliban authorities initiated 'construction of trenches and other development work' along the border, according to Naheed Khan, a senior police official in Pakistan's Khyber district that borders Afghanistan. The closure of border crossing by Pakistani authorities has resulted in suspension of movement of pedestrians and trade between the two neighboring countries, but there were no reports of skirmishes between the two sides. 'It [Torkham crossing] is closed both for pedestrians and heavy vehicles since 12 at night on Feb. 21. No firing is reported from either side,' Khan told Arab News. 'Some families of Bacha Mina, a dusty village near the border on Pakistani side, have left the area for safer places to dodge any eventuality. Also some loaded trucks have returned to Jamrud Bazaar.' There was no immediate comment from the Afghan side on the closure of the key border crossing. The development comes at a time of strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan over a surge in militants attacks in Pakistan's western provinces that border Afghanistan. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan's security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad. In the past, border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces have led to the closure of key crossings like Torkham and Chaman, severely disrupting trade and halting the movement of people between the two countries. In August, the Torkham border was shut down for three days after the Afghan Taliban announced they were investigating reports of Pakistani fighter jets allegedly violating Afghan airspace in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. Tensions escalated again between the two countries in December, following reports of Pakistani airstrikes targeting alleged militant camps in Afghanistan. Afghan officials reported the strikes resulted in civilian casualties.
