ISLAMABAD: The Torkham border crossing, a main transit artery for travellers and goods between Pakistan and Afghanistan, reopened on Wednesday after a 25-day closure marked by escalating tensions and sporadic violence.
The decision to reopen the border was taken at a flag meeting on the Afghan side of the border crossing, officials on both sides of the border said. “The border has now opened for cargo vehicles and will open for pedestrians and patients on Friday after the repair of Pakistani customs infrastructure damaged due to firing from the Afghan side,” said Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, head of the Pakistani jirga (traditional tribal council).
Additionally, an immediate ceasefire has been agreed upon till April 15, Kazmi added.
The closure began on Feb 21 when Afghan forces initiated construction of a checkpoint near the border, prompting objections from Pakistan’s Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force, which claimed the structure encroached on Pakistani territory.
Tensions escalated into armed clashes on March 3, with heavy exchanges of gunfire leaving casualties on both sides — one Afghan security personnel killed, two injured, and unspecified losses reported on the Pakistani side. Following the violence, negotiations between the two sides broke down, and, on March 14, Afghan delegates left the table, accusing Pakistan of being unserious. However, a breakthrough emerged this week as weeks of jirga meetings culminated in a ceasefire agreement. The violence had displaced 15,000 residents and stranded thousands of trucks laden with essential goods.
Since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, ties with Pakistan, once an ally, have frayed, worsened by Islamabad’s deportation of 600,000 Afghans and accusations that Kabul is harbouring militants.
The Durand Line, drawn in 1893 and never fully accepted by Afghanistan, remains the fault line — dividing Pashtun lands and fuelling decades of disputes over fencing, militancy, and trade rules.