PESHAWAR: Pakistan has temporarily reopened the Torkham border crossing to allow the repatriation of Afghan nationals, a police official said on Tuesday, marking the first such movement in months after prolonged tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
The crossing, a key transit point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, had remained largely shut following border clashes and a breakdown in ties, disrupting trade and the return of Afghan nationals ordered to leave Pakistan.
“The border is reopened under temporary arrangements today at around 10 a.m.,” Naheed Khan, a senior police officer in Khyber district, told Arab News over the phone, adding that “only those Afghans who were detained and waiting for repatriation are being sent back” at this point.
Pakistan launched a nationwide drive to expel undocumented foreign nationals, most of them Afghans, in 2023 and intensified its campaign over time.
The development followed a string of deadly militant attacks in different parts of the country, with officials in Islamabad saying most of them involved Afghan nationals, a charge Kabul denied.
Thousands left voluntarily while others were detained and placed in holding centers ahead of deportation.
The recent reopening follows a relative lull in hostilities after weeks of cross-border tensions, including Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds and Kabul described as violations of sovereignty.
Despite the limited reopening, movement remains restricted.
“Pakistani trucks and individuals are still stuck on the other side of the border,” the police official said, adding that officials from both countries were expected to meet in the coming days to review arrangements.
He stressed that the measure was temporary and aimed solely at facilitating the return of Afghans awaiting immediate repatriation.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen strained relations in recent years, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban of harboring militant groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation denied by Kabul.
