KHYBER
A Pakistan troop sustained injuries when the Afghan border security force opened fire at Pak checkpoint here at Torkham border on Monday morning.
The security forces official on the condition of anonymity said that the Afghan security force waged an assault at the Ayub post and wounded a Frontier Corp(FC)personnel identified as Hawaldar Haq Nawaz who was shifted to Military hospital for medical aid.
In retaliation firing, the Pak forces targeted positions of the Afghan troops.
Earlier, a tension arose at the Torkham border on Sunday night between the Pakistan border security force and Afghan troops when the former as per fresh policy refused to let Afghan attendant with patients to cross into Pakistan without legal travel documents.
The new policy for the attendants annoyed the Taliban regime and they suspended the border in protest for all kinds of movement.
The Pak official was of the view that due to security concerns, the policy for the Afghan patients’ helper had been revised and according to the new one, the attendant had to enter via Torkham through proper passport and visa and a week back the Taliban regime had been informed of it.
Previously, the Pak government as a good gesture had granted relaxation to the Afghan patients’ attendant to cross the border in without legal documents.
The Afghan commissioner, Torkham said that till imposition of the old policy for Afghan patients’ assistance at the border, on the strict direction of Kabul, they would not resume the crossing for traffic as well as for pedestrians’ movement.
Security was on high alert and all commercial activities were halted in Torkham.
Because the arm clash at the border created panic among the residents of the bordering locality, Bacha Mena and scores of families fled their homes and took refuge in Landi Kotal, locals informed.
Since the border was closed last night, long queues of Kabul bounded trucks, loaded with merchandise and transit commodities can be witnessed at the Landi Kotal-Torkham highway in addition with a large number of pedestrians stuck at both sides of the crossing.
Meanwhile, local youths while carrying white flags took out a peace rally in Torkham asking both of the neighboring countries to stop arm battle and stay calm.
Israr Shinwari said that war could not be a solution to any problem besides people of the two states could not afford fighting therefore both the countries should settle their matters through dialogue.
