The main Afghanistan-Pakistan land crossing border reopened on Friday after a nine-day closure, as Nangarhar’s Department of Information and Culture confirmed.
On Friday, the Nangarhar Information and Culture Directorate reported that the Torkham border crossing was reopened for all types of traffic around 7:00 AM local time today.
A series of talks between Pakistani and Afghan officials successfully resolved the issue, leading to the reopening of the border, according to a security official in Torkham who spoke anonymously due to the matter’s sensitivity, as reported by Reuters.
Pakistani customs officials had also announced the reopening of this border crossing on the previous day.
The Pakistani customs official in Torkham also said in media remarks late Thursday, “The border will open tomorrow at 7 AM, so all employees should be prepared for their work shifts.”
Furthermore, the previous day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan reported on a meeting between the acting head of the ministry and the Pakistani embassy official in Kabul, where they discussed issues related to the Torkham border crossing and other matters.
Zia Ahmad, the deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press release that Amir Khan Muttaqi and Abdul Rahman Nizamani discussed the existing issues at the Torkham border crossing, the detention of Afghan immigrants in Karachi, Pakistan, and the blockade of Afghan traders’ transit goods.
According to the statement, Muttaqi and the Pakistani embassy official emphasized swift actions to resolve challenges and prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, the Torkham border crossing had been closed for over a week due to clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani soldiers.
