INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Thousands of Afghan nationals crossed back into Afghanistan through Torkham crossing on Saturday after having been stranded for weeks in
Pakistan due to the border closure. Officials on both sides reopened the border to pedestrians on Saturday, after Pakistan shut the
crossing on February 21 amid clashes between border forces. Pakistani immigration officials told local media on Sunday that over 4,000
Afghans crossed back into Afghanistan on Saturday, including 1,900 with valid passports
Dawn reported that a further 2,150 were deported
In contrast, 1,100 Pakistanis returned home
Pakistan officials meanwhile reportedly had to process each person manually as the online immigration system had been damaged during
cross-border clashes between the Pakistani and Afghan forces on March 3 and 4. Dawn news reported that according to Pakistani authorities,
only Afghans with valid visas stamped in their passports would be allowed to enter or exit Pakistan, while those carrying only Tazkiras
(Afghan national identity cards) would be barred from crossing in either direction
The restriction left hundreds of Afghans disappointed, especially those who had been waiting for weeks for the border to reopen. The
reopening of the border comes after multiple rounds of talks between jirga members from both countries
Last week they reached an agreement and reopened the crossing to trade on Tuesday. Since then, trade activities at the border have picked
up. Customs officials told Dawn that in the past two days, 740 vehicles carrying coal, soapstone and dry fruits entered Pakistan from
Afghanistan. In contrast, around 450 export vehicles, including 133 Afghan Transit Trade Goods carriers, crossed into Afghanistan.The post
Torkham border reopens for pedestrians first appeared on Ariana News.
