Torkham border reopened after Afghan grenade attack

LANDIKOTAL: The Torkham border was reopened after the hand-grenade attack that had injured six Pakistani security personnel and two children on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

Assistant Political Agent of Landikotal, who attended the meeting with Afghan border authorities, told this scribe that the decision of reopening of the border was taken after they held talks with their Afghan counterparts.

Thousands of loaded and empty trucks and passengers stranded on both sides of Torkham border rushed to the border crossing when it was reopened at 3pm.

The shops, offices and hotels also gradually started opening.

Business community, hotel owners and shopkeepers were worried about the situation and closure of the Torkham border as their businesses were severely affected during the one month closure of Torkham border a few months back.

Salahuddin, who runs a small hotel in Torkham bazaar, told The News that closure of Torkham border and bazaar caused him at least Rs3,000 loss per day.

He said he was a poor man and the lone breadwinner of his eight-member family.

He condemned the hand-grenade attack from Afghan soil and requested Pakistan and Afghanistan to sit together and find out a way to prevent the closure of the border.

Meanwhile, more security personnel, Khassadars and Levies men were deployed at various places along the Torkham border to keep a close eye on the border.

Torkham Customs Agents Association President Hayatullah welcomed the reopening of the border and said it would have hit the import and export between Pakistan and Afghanistan if the border remained closed for more days.