Pakistan reopens border with Afghanistan after closure due to clashes
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 May 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan reopens border with Afghanistan after closure due to clashes, 27 May 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59818da54.html [accessed 19 May 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. |
May 27, 2017 17:19 GMT
Afghans at the Chaman border crossing on May 17.
Pakistan's military says authorities have reopened the main Chaman border crossing on May 27 at Afghanistan's request after it was shut down earlier this month after bloody clashes broke out, killing 15 people on both sides.
The moves comes on the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan. The military said in a statement that the border was reopened on "humanitarian grounds."
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to maintain a cease-fire in the border town of Charman, where nine Pakistanis and six Afghans were killed on May 5, the statement said.
Islamabad says it closed the major crossing after Afghan troops opened fire on a Pakistani census team, sparking a deadly firefight.
Afghanistan claims that some of the villages visited by the Pakistani census-takers fall within their territory. The two countries have agreed to use Google maps to help settle the dispute.
Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of providing sanctuaries for Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network on its soil, while Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering Pakistani Taliban.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
