KHYBER: A day after Islamabad and Kabul agreed to uphold a ceasefire during rounds of talks in Istanbul, Pakistan reopened the Torkham border crossing on Saturday to facilitate the repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees.
The repatriation of Afghan families from Pakistan was halted on October 11 due to border clashes between the two neighbouring countries.
The clashes, which continued for several days before a ceasefire was brokered in Doha on October 19, had prompted Pakistan to seal all its borders with Afghanistan for trade and travel.
According to Deputy Commissioner Khyber Bilal Shahid, the Torkham border crossing was temporarily reopened after 21 days to allow illegal Afghan residents to return to their country. He said hundreds of Afghan nationals had arrived at the Torkham immigration centre, where authorities were completing formalities before permitting them to enter Afghanistan.
The deputy commissioner, however, said trade activities and pedestrian movement across the border would remain suspended until further notice.
Following six days of talks, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to uphold the ceasefire, Turkiye’s foreign ministry said late Thursday.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed optimism that mediation efforts by Qatar and Turkiye will yield positive results.
Speaking to Geo News, he revealed that the issue of Afghan nationals has, for the first time, been raised at the international level, adding that Turkiye and Qatar were playing a constructive mediatory role in the dialogue.
Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to uphold ceasefire after multiple rounds of talks in Istanbul, read a joint statement issued on late Thursday, further stating: “Further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided in a principal level meeting in Istanbul on November 6, 2025.”
“Previously, Afghanistan refused to acknowledge responsibility for its nationals residing illegally in Pakistan, calling it Pakistan’s issue,” the minister said. “Now, the matter has gained international ownership.”
He further noted that under the ongoing negotiations, a clause has been included stipulating that if any illegal activity originates from the Afghan soil, Afghanistan will be held accountable.
“There has been no hostile activity from our side; the ceasefire violations are being committed by Afghanistan,” Asif said, rejecting Kabul’s claims that Pakistan’s establishment is behind the tensions. He observed that there is widespread anger across Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the province most affected by cross-border militancy.
“The entire nation, including political leaders and state institutions, stands united and wants an immediate resolution to the Afghan issue,” Asif stressed. “The only solution is for Afghanistan to end terrorism originating from its soil.”
He maintained that it would be preferable for both states to maintain civilised relations, warning that the international community is fully aware of the divisive tactics being used by Afghanistan.
Highlighting the shared burden of decades of conflict, Khawaja Asif said, “The losses Pakistan has suffered over the past five decades are collective losses of both nations.”
The defence minister also accused India of waging a proxy war against Pakistan since the Ashraf Ghani era, asserting that the evidence is widely accepted now. “If necessary, we will present proof,” he said. The defence minister stated that India seeks to keep Pakistan preoccupied on both its eastern and western borders.
“On the eastern front, India has already faced setbacks — Modi has gone silent,” Khawaja Asif remarked confidently, expressing optimism that mediation efforts by Qatar and Turkiye will yield positive results.
The defence czar clarified that the Torkham border has been opened solely to facilitate the expulsion of illegal Afghan nationals from the country, not for trade activities. He said all trade at Torkham remains suspended, and visa processing is also on hold until the ongoing talks with Afghan authorities are concluded.
He stressed that the deportation process must continue so that illegal Afghan residents cannot find excuses to return and resettle in Pakistan again.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Saturday rejected outright the deliberate twisting of facts attributed to the Afghan Taliban’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, regarding the recent Istanbul talks between the two countries.
In a statement posted on X, the Ministry of Information said Pakistan had demanded that terrorists based in Afghanistan and posing a threat to Pakistan either be controlled or arrested.
The statement notes, “When the Afghan side claimed those individuals were Pakistani nationals, Islamabad immediately proposed that they be handed over through designated border crossings, in line with its long-standing position”.
It stressed that any claim to the contrary is false and misleading. The clarification comes after Zabihullah Mujahid told a private news channel that during the Istanbul negotiations, the Afghan side had offered to deport individuals considered security threats by Islamabad — a proposal Pakistan allegedly declined.
He alleged that Pakistan had instead asked Afghanistan to restrain those individuals within Afghanistan rather than deport them. Mujahid asserted that Afghanistan’s policy prohibits migrants from carrying weapons and said that Kabul would act if Pakistan provided credible evidence of any threat.
He also alleged that Pakistan’s recent actions appeared to be aimed at creating conditions for a possible US return to the Bagram airbase.
Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to uphold ceasefire after multiple rounds of talks in Istanbul collapsed without a breakthrough.