Pak-Afghan border was opened immediately by Prime Minister

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered that Pak-Afghan border be reopened immediately, South Punjab News reported.

The premier ordered authorities to reopen the border immediately as a gesture of goodwill, while keeping in sight the businesses affected. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister House, PM Nawaz said the government is in talks with Afghanistan regarding the elimination of terrorism from its soil.

Earlier this month, Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal urged PM Nawaz to order the reopening of the border. “It will be the right message if Your Excellency instructs an immediate opening of our formal trade and transit routes between our two brotherly countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said in his speech at the ECO summit.

The border was closed last month after a series of attacks killed at least 100 people and injured 300 others. The government said armed groups who operate from the Afghan side of the border had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

“They have now been closed for about two weeks, without adequate reasons, causing enormous hardship to ordinary people and a lot of damage to traders on both sides,” Ambassador Zakhilwal said.

Afghanistan did not participate at the highest level in the ECO Summit amid tensions with Pakistan and assigned its ambassador to represent the country.However, earlier in March, Pakistan temporarily opened the border at Torkham and Chaman to allow stranded Afghan nationals to return to their country.

The border crossings were opened on March 7 and 8, "in order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas and wish to return to their country", a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release had stated.