The security forces at Torkham border abruptly closed the crossing point late Saturday afternoon after the Afghan border guards objected to the repair of a protective wall on the Pakistani side of the crossing. However, the crossing was reopened later in the evening.
The closure of the border also temporarily suspended vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement when Pakistan beefed up security on its side.
Official sources said that the Pakistani authorities started repair of a protection wall on its side, well within its own territorial jurisdiction. The wall was breached at a number of points by the local daily wagers who cross the border several times a day for multiple purposes.
They said that the Afghan authorities objected to the reconstruction work and also exchanged some hot words with the Pakistani border guards, which forced the abrupt closure of the border.
Afghanistan on Saturday closed Torkham border after Pakistan started some repair work on its side of the border, a Pakistani diplomat said.Closure of Torkham, the major border point with Afghanistan, has caused problems for the pedestrians and cross-border movement of trucks, witnesses said.
A Pakistani official in Kabul told Daily Times that Pakistan had contacted Afghan officials to reopen the border to avoid any problem for the cross-border movement of the people and trade.
Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for governor Nangarhar, claimed that Pakistan had closed the border after Afghan forces resisted an attempt by Pakistani forces to carry out some construction.
“There was also a firing exchange between the two sides,” Khogyani was quoted by Azadi Radio as saying. He said efforts are underway to solve the problem through diplomatic channels. He said
The Pakistani official said the Afghan side closed Torkham border since Saturday afternoon protesting that Pakistan is undertaking construction on the fence on its side.
“Pakistan side is in touch with Afghan side that some repairs are underway on Pakistan side to prevent smuggling,” the Pakistani official said.
Closure of the border could be the work of some people trying to spoil the excellent equation emerging between Islamabad and Kabul particularly after the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Afghanistan.
Sources said the Frontier Corps was installing an iron grill on its own side of the border and repairing fences to control smuggling being carried out by Afghan children.
The Afghan side has objected to the same and have suspended all pedestrian movement and trade at Torkham at 2 pm on Saturday.
The sources said Pakistani officials communicated to the Afghan side through military and diplomatic channels that the activity is taking place on the Pakistani side. “But they are not ready to comprehend the same,” the source said.
