ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (NNN-APP) – Pakistan has reopened the Torkham border crossing, in north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees to their home country, officials said yesterday.
Bilal Rao, deputy commissioner of Khyber district of the province, told the media that, the border crossing resumed operations yesterday morning, to allow the repatriation of Afghan families, who had been waiting on the Pakistani side for weeks.
He said hundreds of Afghan nationals had arrived at the immigration centre, where documentation procedures were underway, before allowing them to cross into Afghanistan.
The repatriation process had been suspended on Oct 11, after clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan erupted, prompting Islamabad to close all border crossings for trade and travel.
A ceasefire was formally reached in Doha on Oct 19, but Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Hussain Andrabi said, during a media briefing on Friday that, the border will remain “closed for trade for now,” adding that the resumption of commercial activity will depend on the security situation.
The closure of border crossings had halted bilateral trade for weeks, leading to rising prices of essential goods in parts of Pakistan.– NNN-APP
