By Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR: Pakistan reopened the Torkham border crossing on Tuesday under temporary arrangements, allowing the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals for the first time in months after a security incident and a series of border clashes halted the process.
The crossing, which links Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, had been largely closed since Oct. 12 of last year following clashes between the two sides that also shut down all trading activity. Officials from both countries held flag meetings on Monday and Tuesday that restored enough calm to resume returns, Pakistani authorities said.
The border was last briefly opened on Thursday for repatriations under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, but the effort was suspended after only 12 hours when a Pakistani security official was injured in firing from the Afghan side. Pakistani officials lodged a strong protest, and Afghan authorities expressed regret and requested that the process resume, according to accounts provided to local media.
After assessing the security situation, Pakistani authorities directed relevant departments to restart repatriations beginning Tuesday, officials said. The decision followed a formal request from the Afghan side and two flag meetings that addressed initial violations during the pause in operations. “The border is reopened under temporary arrangements today at around 10 a.m.,” Naheed Khan, a senior police officer in Khyber district, told told reporters. “Only those Afghans who were detained and waiting for repatriation are being sent back” at this stage.
The first group of roughly 220 Afghans crossed back into Afghanistan around 11 a.m., supervised by Lt. Col. Waqas of the 146 Wing and Maj. Hafiz Asadullah, the officer in charge of the Torkham terminal. Pakistani border security officials met their Afghan counterparts during the day, an encounter described by authorities as the first such face-to-face meeting since the October closure. The two sides even shared soft drinks, a small gesture that officials said signaled mutual goodwill and a commitment to prevent future violations.
The reopening comes amid Pakistan’s broader campaign, launched in 2023 and intensified in subsequent years, to expel undocumented foreign nationals — the vast majority of them Afghans. Thousands left voluntarily, while others were detained and held in centers pending deportation. Pakistani officials have linked a string of deadly militant attacks inside the country to Afghan nationals, a charge Kabul has repeatedly denied.
Tensions escalated further in recent months with cross-border incidents, including Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad described as targeting militant hideouts and that Kabul called violations of its sovereignty. A relative lull in hostilities in recent weeks paved the way for Tuesday’s limited reopening. Movement across the border remains tightly restricted. Pakistani trucks and individuals remain stranded on the Afghan side, and officials from both countries are expected to hold further meetings in coming days to review arrangements. Khan stressed that the current opening is temporary and focused solely on Afghans awaiting immediate repatriation.
The prolonged closure has created significant hardship for Pakistani transporters. Several hundred of them staged a demonstration Tuesday in nearby Landi Kotal, demanding arrangements for the safe return of their vehicles and drivers. The protesters said about 2,000 vehicles and 1,500 drivers have been stuck in Afghanistan since the border was sealed Oct. 12, causing heavy financial losses and mental stress for the families of those stranded.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have endured strained relations for years. Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban government of harboring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, allegations that Kabul has consistently rejected.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
