The crossings would remain closed until communication channels between the two countries were restored: officials
LANDIKOTAL
The cross-border trade and travel between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Monday, as the Torkham crossing and other key border points stayed closed following unprovoked firing by Afghan security forces, sources said on Tuesday.
Torkham customs clearing agents association president Mujeeb Shinwari said the suspension of movement at Torkham, one of the busiest gateways for bilateral trade and transit, has brought cross-border commerce to a standstill. Freight vehicles have been sent back to Landikotal, a seven kilomters from Torkham border, as security along the frontier remained tense, while traders and commuters on both sides face growing losses and hardship.
He said besides Torkham in Khyber district, the Chaman crossing in Balochistan, Angoor Adda in South Waziristan, Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan and Kharlachi in Kurram district also remained sealed for the third day. The closures came after what Pakistani officials described as unprovoked firing by the Afghan security forces, disrupting all movement across the frontier.
Social worker Sawab Noor and Israr Shinwari said Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan were allowed to return to Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar province, but all other trade and travel activity remained suspended.
It was not the first time the Torkham border has been closed following tensions between Pakistani and Afghan security forces. The crossing was last sealed on February 21 after disagreements over construction of bunker near the zero point at the Afghan side of Torkham.
The standoff had also been escalated in March when an exchange of fire between the two sides left six soldiers and two civilians injured, while several houses, a mosque and offices of clearing agents were damaged during three days of shelling in Torkham.
The crisis was later defused through tribal elders’ Jirga mediation, after which the Pakistani delegation made it clear that the border would reopen only if the Afghan authorities complied with protocols requiring prior notification of any construction near the frontier.
Islamabad reiterated that no new structures or renovations would be permitted at or near the zero point under the existing understandings between the two countries. Customs officials at Torkham said the ongoing closure was causing daily export losses estimated at $1.5 million, while imports worth Rs545 million had been suspended.
During the previous shutdown in March, trade at Torkham remained halted for 27 days, leaving around 5,000 loaded trucks stranded and inflicting heavy financial losses on traders and transporters.
Torkham officials said the crossings would remain closed until communication channels between the two countries were restored and the security situation stabilised.
Meanwhile, thousands of passengers including patients, women, children and elderly men remain stranded on both sides of the border, waiting for its reopening to reach their destinations. Traders, transporters and local businessmen have urged both governments to resolve the issue through dialogue and restore normal movement at the earliest.
Officials told this correspondent that high-level talks were underway to resolve the matter, though it remained unclear when the border would reopen.
