PESHAWAR: The key Torkham border crossing connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan remained shut for trade and traffic for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, a senior police official confirmed, as a dispute between both sides related to “construction” work lingers on.
Pakistani authorities closed the Torkham border crossing late Friday night when Afghan authorities initiated “construction of trenches and other development work” along the border, Naheed Khan, a senior police official in Pakistan’s Khyber district that borders Afghanistan said.
Border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces have led to the closure of key crossings like Torkham and Chaman in the past, severely disrupting trade and halting the movement of people between the two countries.
Khan said both sides held two rounds of talks at Torkham recently but negotiations between border officials failed to yield any results.
“Now it is highly likely that the issue will be taken up for high-level discussions between Islamabad and Kabul,” Khan told Arab News.
The police official said some families from Bacha Mina, a dusty town on the Torkham border’s outskirts on the Pakistani side, had already left the area out of fear of a skirmish the two between border forces.
He said most trucks loaded with perishable items had returned to Landi Kotal and Jamrud Bazaar towns in Pakistan near Torkham.
There was no immediate comment from the Afghan side on the closure of the key border crossing.
Kiftan Bacha, an Afghan customs clearing agent, told Arab News that fruits and vegetables laden on trucks on Afghanistan’s side were being spoiled due to the border closure.
“Passengers and especially patients suffer the most,” Bacha said. “Authorities on both sides should at least allow patients to cross the border for immediate treatment in Pakistan.”
Zarqeeb Shinwar, a Pakistani customs clearing agent agreed, calling on both countries to seek a permanent solution to the dispute.
“Its [border] closure creates a logistical crisis, discouraging trade and causing immense problems for travelers,” Shinwar told Arab News.
“Both sides need to explore its immediate and permanent solution to alleviate problems of people living in border areas.”
The development comes at a time of strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan over a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces that lie on its border with Afghanistan.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan’s security issues are the country’s internal matter.
In August, the Torkham border was shut down for three days after the Afghan Taliban announced they were investigating reports of Pakistani fighter jets allegedly violating Afghanistan’s airspace in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
Tensions escalated again between the two countries in December, following reports of Pakistani airstrikes targeting alleged militant camps in Afghanistan. Afghan officials reported that the strikes resulted in civilian casualties.
