Relations between the two nations have soured since the Taliban took power in August 2021, with Islamabad accusing its neighbour of harbouring militant groups that have carried out strikes on its soil — a charge Kabul denies.
There have been frequent flare-ups along the mostly mountainous dividing line splitting the countries — which no Afghan government has ever recognised — including sporadic gunfights and closures.
The Torkham border crossing was reopened as of 6:00 am (0130 GMT) Saturday, Afghan customs official Muslim Khaksar said at the waypoint in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.
“The border is now open from both sides for civilians as well as for traders,” he said
“Trucks carrying rice, cement, construction material, medicines, and other edibles were sent to Afghanistan,” a Pakistani customs official said, adding that lorries loaded with coal, vegetables, and fruits had entered Pakistan.
Around 1,400 trucks on the Pakistan side were still waiting to cross into Afghanistan, he added.
The crossing was closed by Afghan authorities late Sunday, who objected to what they said were new documentation rules restricting attendants of medical patients from entering Pakistan. Pakistani officials never confirmed or denied a rule change. A gunfight erupted at the crossing between border guards from the two countries on Monday morning, with both sides blaming each other for initiating the violence.
On Saturday, attendants were allowed to enter Pakistan after showing their Afghan identity cards, the Pakistani customs official said.
Both nations are in economic turmoil, with Afghanistan reeling from a drop-off in aid after the fall of the US-backed government, and Pakistan hammered by ballooning energy prices and a foreign exchange crisis.
Since the Taliban’s return, Pakistan has witnessed a rise in attacks on its soil, especially in the regions bordering Afghanistan.
But two separate attacks in January and February in the major cities of Peshawar and Karachi killed dozens of people — mostly police — and were linked to the Pakistani Taliban, which has deep ties with its Afghan namesake.
On Wednesday, a high-level delegation from Pakistan visited Kabul to discuss ways to counter the threat of militant attacks.Over 1400 goods vehicles crossed over to Afghanistan on Saturday as the bilateral trade resumed after six days hiatus due to the abrupt closure of the Torkham border by Afghan authorities late on Sunday.Customs officials told Dawn that as many as 500 vehicles loaded with transit goods and 380 vehicles of Pakistani export items were already cleared by them prior to the closure of the border six days ago.
They said all those cleared vehicles were allowed first to cross over to Afghanistan when the gates were opened for them early Saturday morning.
Similarly, hundreds of vehicles loaded with fresh fruits, coal and soap stone also entered Pakistan from the Afghan side ending the ordeal of transporters.Local commuters faced difficulties while travelling between Landi Kotal-Jamrud region and Peshawar as stranded trucks tried to overtake each other in their ‘race’ to reach the border and thus, causing traffic congestion on the main artery.
Officials at Torkham said a formal flag meeting of officials from both countries would be held very soon to sort out the visa issue facing attendants of Afghan patients and cleaners accompanying Afghan drivers.
Saturday also saw a pedestrian influx on both sides of the border as citizens of both countries wanted to enter their respective homelands fearing another abrupt border closure.
However, Pakistani officials insisted that they were willing to extend “all kinds” of cooperation to the Afghan people to make the cross-border movement more convenient and hassle-free for them.
KHYBER: Sipah Khidmat-i-Khalq Welfare Society of Bara in Khyber tribal district has provided its first free home to a recently returned homeless family.
Constructed at a total cost of Rs1.2 million, which was donated to the society by the local philanthropists, the houses consisted of two rooms with attached bathrooms and a kitchen. The house was constructed in 40 days.
Turab Ali, a spokesman for the welfare society, told Dawn that the newly-built house was donated to a daily-wage worker in Yousaf Talab locality of Bara as his family had lived in shanty houses in Peshawar and Bara prior to its return to ancestral village Sanda Pal after remaining ‘displaced’ for over a decade.
He said head of the family Jan Madar worked as a daily wager in brick kilns and found his house in Sanda Pal to be destroyed on return a few months ago.
The spokesman said Jan Madar got an eviction notice from the owner of his previous house in Bara over his poverty-induced inability to pay rent.
Jan Madar told Dawn that alongside his wife and children, he was also taking care of his two young mentally retarded brothers while one of his daughters also lost her eyesight recently, adding to his financial woes.
He said that he couldn’t even imagine building his own house as he was earning only Rs500 on a daily basis while working in a brick kiln from dawn to dusk.
Turab Ali said his organisation intended to build five more such houses for poor homeless families.