Torkham border crossing between Pakistan, Afghanistan partially reopens

Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan for Afghan refugees to return to their country, according to the authorities.

The border crossing, in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had been closed since October 11 in the wake of clashes that erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The closure abruptly halted the repatriation of Afghan families with or without any travel or identity documents.

Deputy Commissioner Khyber District Bilal Rao confirmed the border crossing's reopening and said it would remain functional until the stranded refugees were repatriated.

The situation of Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, Afghan Consul General Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir told the media on Friday that thousands of Afghan refugees were stranded and living on the road due to the closure of the Torkham border crossing. Shakir also said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had not helped the stranded refugees either, most of whom, according to him, were registered and held Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

Following the recent border tensions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on October 18 asserted that the government would grant no further extension to Afghan refugees and that all refugee camps would be shut down. He was also informed that as of October 16, a total of 1,477,592 Afghan nationals had been repatriated.

The government has also warned that harbouring illegal Afghan residents would be treated as a serious offence and violators would face stern punishment.

Pakistan had closed all its borders with Afghanistan for all types of movement after the brief conflict last month. On Friday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated that the “border remains closed for trade for now”, adding that resumption of trade would depend on the security situation.