Pakistan reopens border crossings with Afghanistan in 'goodwill gesture'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 21 March 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan reopens border crossings with Afghanistan in 'goodwill gesture', 21 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a6909.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 21, 2017
Trucks stranded at the Torkham border crossing
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the two main border crossings with Afghanistan to be reopened on March 20, calling it a "goodwill gesture."
The border closures on February 16 had left hundreds of thousands of people stranded at the two major crossings of Torkham and Chaman.
Pakistan shut the Torkham crossing between Peshawar to Jalalabad and Chaman crossing between Quetta and Kandahar after more than 130 people were killed in a series of attacks by militants that Islamabad said resided in Afghanistan. Afghanistan denies harboring them.
The closures hit travelers and cross-border trade heavily, stranding thousands of vehicles on both sides of the border.
Haji Aslam, head of the Transit Union, representing drivers on both sides of the border, said some 4,000 trucks had been held up on the Afghan side of the border and 6,000 on the Pakistan side, where tons of fresh produce meant for export has rotted and been thrown away.
Sharif's decision to reopen the border came days after top diplomats from Pakistan and Afghanistan met in London for talks to address each other's concerns about alleged terrorist hideouts in the border regions.
Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
