Torkham border crossing between Pakistan, Afghanistan partially reopens

Peshawar, Nov 1 (PTI) Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan for Afghan refugees to return to their country, according to 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 that it will remain functional until the stranded refugees are 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 that 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.

The partial reopening of the border excludes vehicles carrying trade goods, keeping cross-border trade suspended and driving up prices of essential commodities.

Due to the suspension of cross-border trade, over 500 containers loaded with tomatoes, grapes, and other fresh and dry fruits have been stranded on the Afghan side for the past 20 days.  The prices of tomatoes jumped to PkR 500 in Peshawar from PkR 80 due to a shortage of goods.

Meanwhile, police on Saturday killed four robbers posing as police officials in an encounter in Peshawar. Three of those killed were Afghan nationals.

According to the police, the encounter took place in the Mirakachori Mehr Gul Kallay area after receiving information about the presence of the dacoits. Upon arrival, the suspects opened fire on the police, prompting a retaliatory response in which all four members of the gang were killed.

An official said the slain robbers had been carrying out crimes disguised as police since 2003. The gang was also involved in a recent robbery at a doctor’s residence, where they looted millions of rupees in cash and jewellery.

SSP Operations Peshawar Masood Ahmed Bangash confirmed that all four robbers have been identified, adding that three of them were Afghan nationals.

Bangash further stated that the gang was wanted by police in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Nowshera, and several other districts.  Weapons, including a Kalashnikov rifle, another firearm, two pistols, and motorcycles, were recovered from their possession. PTI AYZ SKS GRS SKS GRS GRS