Sources confirmed to Afghanistan International on Monday that the Torkham border crossing remains closed for the third consecutive day, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded. Among them, many women, children, and patients are in critical condition.
The Torkham crossing, which connects Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, was shut down on Saturday following a dispute over the construction of a new checkpoint.
Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, the Taliban commissioner at Torkham, confirmed that Pakistan had closed the crossing in response to construction activities on the Afghan side.
A Pakistani security official at the border stated on Sunday that a meeting of the border communications committee to discuss reopening the crossing had not yet been scheduled.
Sources told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper that tensions escalated when border security officials clashed over the renovation and expansion of a security post on the Afghan side and the installation of a signboard on the Pakistani side, leading to the sudden closure. They added that both sides had previously agreed to notify and consult each other on any construction or modifications to border structures.
This is not the first time Pakistan has closed the Torkham crossing. The Pakistani government has frequently used this vital trade and transit route as leverage in its dealings with the Taliban.
