Torkham border yet to reopen despite ‘successful talks’

LANDIKOTAL: The Afghan Taliban agreed to reopen the Torkham border after various rounds of talks, but the crossing remained closed on the fifth consecutive day on Thursday due to unknown reasons.

A large number of passengers moved to Torkham from Pakistan and Afghanistan after they heard about the reopening of the border crossing. Long queues of passengers were seen on both sides of the border waiting outside the Federal Investigation Agency and Customs offices to get their travel documents cleared but they were not allowed to proceed to their destinations after the hours-long wait.

An official told this scribe on condition of anonymity that the pressure of passengers and loaded trucks had gradually increased in the past week. He said they were looking to high-ups to formally notify them of the reopening of the border.

Meanwhile, members of the Tanzeem-e-Naujawanan Qabail arranged cooked food for passengers who had been stranded in Landikotal and Torkham due to the closure of the border. Most of the Afghan citizens were children and women.

Nazia Gul,45 told The News that she had come to Peshawar from Nangarhar with her son and husband some two weeks ago. She said her son Hasrat,10, was sick and they had admitted him to a hospital in Peshawar.

The woman said they had been waiting for four days with her ailing son and husband in Landikotal. She urged Pakistan to allow them to return to their native country as soon as possible. Several Afghan families traveled to the Torkham border but returned to Peshawar and Landikotal to stay safe due to the cold weather at Torkham.