PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s main border crossing with Afghanistan was closed for a third consecutive day on Friday, leading to a build-up of trucks laden with goods and leaving travelers stranded, after clashes between security forces from the two countries.
The busy Torkham border is the main point of transit for travelers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. The crossing has been closed several times in recent years, including a closure in February that saw thousands of trucks laden with goods stranded for days on each side of the border.
Disputes linked to the 2,600 km (1,615 miles) border have for decades been a bone of contention between the neighbors.
Naheed Khan, a Pakistani police officer posted at the border crossing, told Arab News there were no more clashes but the gates of the border remained closed for travelers, passengers and trucks carrying goods.
It is still not clear what prompted firing on the border on Wednesday, but Pakistani government and military officials have been in contact with Afghan counterparts to defuse tensions.
“The situation is now calm but tense,” Khan said. “Passengers and patients on both sides await reopening of the border. There is no sign of border opening today and even tomorrow.”
Trucks loaded with supplies to leave for Afghanistan are seen stranded at the Michni checkpost, after the main Pakistan-Afghan border crossing closed after clashes, in Torkham, Pakistan on September 7, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)
Akhtar Nawaz, a Pakistani custom clearing agent, said thousands of passengers and travelers, including patients, were stranded on the Pakistani side of the border.
“Due to limited capacity for passengers’ stay at a few hotels at Torkham, most of the passengers stay with locals while others spend nights in mosques,” he said.
Following Wednesday’s clashes, hundreds of families of Bacha Mina, a small border town on the Pakistani side, had to move to the adjacent Landi Kotal town.
“Our families are still living in Landi Kotal with relatives,” Nawaz said. “They don’t want to come back to their homes because they fear clashes can erupt anytime. Tokrham is tense and businesses are closed with no movement of people here.”
Men offer prayer under the shade of a truck loaded with supplies to leave for Afghanistan as they are stranded at Michni checkpost, after the main Pakistan-Afghan border crossing closed after clashes, in Torkham, Pakistan on September 7, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)
Trawlers full of perishable items such as fruits and vegetables had to be diverted back to Peshawar as the items started to rot, the customs agent added.
An Afghan customs official who declined to be named said vehicles full of grapes had perished on the Afghan side due to the border closure.
“Thousands of Afghans including patients with valid Pakistani visas are stuck at our side of the border, but the business community suffers the most,” he said.
“We don’t know if Pakistan and Afghanistan can settle their grievances ever.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Friday the country did not wish to create problems for traders and genuine visitors, but the border closure was done due to security purposes.
“It happens only when there is a grave security risk and we have to factor in those security considerations whenever the decision to open or close the border takes place,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during her weekly news briefing.
She added that Pakistani authorities were in contact with the Afghan government regarding concerns about the security threat that the South Asian state faces.
