Crucial Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing reopens after weeks-long closure

KARACHI, Pakistan

A crucial border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened on Wednesday after a weeks-long closure following a dispute over the construction of a checkpost by the Afghan side.

The much-awaited agreement was reached at a meeting of tribal elders from both sides held at the Afghanistan side of the border.

The border, which remained closed for 25 days over the construction of security checkpoints by the Afghan side, reopened at 4 p.m. (GMT1100) for trade transport, whereas the cross-border public movement will be allowed from March 31, Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, the head of the Pakistani delegation of tribal elders that took part in weeks-long talks, told Anadolu.

However, patients requiring immediate treatment will be allowed to enter Pakistan.

As part of the agreement, tribal elders on both sides decided to temporarily halt the disputed construction by Afghan forces.

Torkham is one of 18 crossings between the two neighbors, which have been locked in a border dispute for decades, leading to the frequent closure of land connections.

Trade losses

Some 10,000 people, mainly Afghans, use the crossing daily to seek medical treatment and earn a livelihood in Pakistan's border areas.

According to the Khyber Chamber of Commerce & Industry, single-day trade through the Torkham border amounts to 3 million dollars, meaning 25 days of closure have inflicted a whopping loss of $75 million on the bilateral trade.

According to the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, trade between the two countries amounted to $2.5 billion in 2010 but dropped to $1.6 billion before settling at slightly over $1.8 billion in 2022-23.

Trade between the neighbors is conducted under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, a bilateral deal signed in 2010.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been sour since November 2023, after Islamabad launched a crackdown against illegal foreigners, mostly Afghan refugees, and announced it would send them back to their countries.

Islamabad also accuses Kabul of providing safe havens for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an outlawed umbrella organization that frequently launches attacks in Pakistan after crossing the border.

However, the interim Afghan government denies the charge.