Pakistan Reopens Key Border Crossing With Afghanistan

The Torkham closure on January 12 caused huge commercial losses to both countries.

Pakistan on January 23 reopened the Torkham border crossing with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, a critical access route for trade and transportation between the two countries, after a 10-day closure prompted by Islamabad's imposing of a requirement for passports and visas for Afghan drivers.

A Pakistani customs official in Torkham told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal on condition of anonymity that the border was reopened at 10 a.m. local time, allowing the flow of trucks and people once again.

The move came after a meeting between Pakistani and Taliban officials on January 22 in Torkham during which the two sides agreed to reopen the crossing, the official said.

The Torkham border crossing links Pakistan's western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province to Nangarhar, an eastern Afghan province, through the historic Khyber Pass.

The Torkham closure on January 12 caused huge commercial losses to both countries, blocking the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying tens of tons of oranges and tangerines, according to Afghan trade officials.

lslamabad's move to impose tighter controls requiring drivers from both sides to have visas and passports -- documents many Afghans do not have -- came amid a deterioration of relations between the two neighbors, with Pakistan accusing the Taliban of allowing militants to stage attacks across the border from Afghan territory.

Since October, Pakistan has expelled more than a half-million undocumented Afghans over the Taliban's failure to rein in the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

Islamabad blames the group for escalating attacks on security forces and accuses the Taliban government of sheltering TTP militants.

Officials say TTP attacks have killed more than 2,000 Pakistanis since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021.

Pakistan says that more than 1.7 million undocumented Afghans reside on its territory.

With reporting by AFP