Pak Security Forces Prevent Afghan Nationals From Crossing Border Without Passport & Visa

Sources said that Pakistani security forces have not been allowing Afghan travellers who do not have passports and visas to cross the Chaman border over the last three days.

Previously, Afghan and Pakistani citizens could cross the border using their national identity cards.

Spin Boldak and Chaman border is an important crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but since the restrictions imposed by Pakistan, thousands of people have been waiting to cross the border on both sides of Afghanistan and Pakistan borders.

Mohammad Rafiq Achikzai, a resident of Chaman city in Pakistan, whose business is setup in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar (Afghanistan), told Afghanistan International, "For many years, people with Afghan and Pakistani IDs have been commuting between tribal areas of Spin Boldak and Chaman."

Mohammad Wali, a Pakistani local elder, said that following a meeting with Baluchistan province authorities three days ago, they declared that cross-border travel on both sides should require a passport.

He stated, "We cannot tolerate this decision of the Pakistani government, the business of thousands of people here is being affected. This is our homeland and we [tribes] do not accept the decision of Pakistan and Afghanistan to travel with passports.”

Pakistan recently announced that it will deport foreign nationals without legal documentation from Pakistan.