Hundreds of passengers, vehicles move after Torkham gate reopening

LANDIKOTAL: Hundreds of passengers and vehicles stranded on both sides of the border headed towards their destination on Tuesday as Pakistani authorities reopened the Torkham gate after 33 days.

The people, truckers, shopkeepers and transporters celebrated the reopening of Torkham border and distributed sweets in Landikotal and Torkham bazaars. Around 500 loaded trucks parked at various places in Khyber Agency crossed the border while hundreds of people crossed the Torkham border to travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, around 200 trucks loaded with fresh vegetables and fruit were not allowed to enter Afghanistan. A senior official at Torkham border told The News that Pakistani authorities didn’t allow the trucks owned by Pakistani nationals to go to Afghanistan.  He said the truck owners were asked to produce passports and visas before entering Afghanistan. Meanwhile, shops, hotels and private offices in Torkham border town gradually started reopening after a month.