The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan. AFP
The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan reopened to pedestrians and autos early Friday, a senior official advised AFP, greater than per week after it was closed following a gun battle between frontier guards.
Islamabad and Kabul have been in diplomatic impasse since 6 September, when border guards opened hearth on the crossing – midway between the 2 capitals – in a dispute over an Afghan outpost being constructed.
“The clearance of trucks is in process and Afghan citizens are entering Afghanistan after clearance and passing immigration processes,” Irshad Khan Mohmamd, assistant commissioner of Khyber district in Pakistan, advised AFP.
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An AFP workforce on the Afghan aspect of the border stated crowds had gathered in anticipation of crossing to Pakistan, however the gates have been nonetheless closed.
The crossing is the busiest for commerce and folks between the 2 nations, which share a porous 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier that cuts via rugged mountains and valleys.
Merchants on each side complained that tons of perishable items have been misplaced due to the border closure, whereas Afghan travellers missed very important hospital appointments or flights out of Pakistan.
Every blamed the opposite for firing the primary salvo final Wednesday, souring already poor relations between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.
The border is a continuing supply of friction between the 2 nations, with Islamabad steadily complaining that Kabul has didn’t safe its frontier – a colonial-era demarcation that each Afghan authorities has disputed – permitting militants to cross and strike on Pakistan’s soil.
Afghan authorities have repeatedly denied the allegations.
The Pakistan aspect of the border had been at a standstill for days, with markets and places of work shut and crowds of travellers sheltering in close by mosques.
Officers stated greater than 1,300 autos, together with vans and trailers, have been on the Pakistan aspect ready to cross.
On the Afghan aspect, officers and residents staged a small protest earlier this week, demanding the border reopen.
The Pakistan international ministry stated Monday “unprovoked firing by Afghan border security forces invariably emboldens the terrorist elements”.
“Pakistan has continued to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue in the face of persistent, unwarranted provocations by Afghan troops deployed along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” stated spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.
The Taliban authorities’s international ministry stated on the weekend Pakistan’s alleged assault on its border guards was “contrary to good neighbourliness”.
“The closure of the gate cannot be justified under any circumstances,” an announcement learn.