Pakistan reopens Torkham border crossing to repatriate Afghan refugees

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani on Saturday reopened the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan to repatriate Afghan refugees, officials from both sides confirmed.

All Pak-Afghan border crossings had been closed last month after Taliban forces carried out multiple attacks on Pakistani border security personnel. The clashes had erupted in early October when Pakistan came under attack from the Afghan side on the night of October 11.

According to Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, border crossings will remain closed for cargo trucks and regular passengers until the situation improves. The closure had stranded thousands of trucks on both sides of the border.

Khyber District Deputy Commissioner Bilal Rao confirmed to Dawn.com that the Torkham crossing was reopened on Saturday morning exclusively for refugees. Two Afghan officials also confirmed the reopening.

Quraishi Badloon, head of the Information and Culture Department in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, said from Jalalabad that “the Torkham gate has now been opened for refugees, and we welcome our countrymen.” Another official from the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar also confirmed the development.

On Friday, Afghan Consul General in Peshawar Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir said that thousands of Afghan refugees had been stranded along roadsides in dire conditions since the closure of Torkham — the largest border crossing between the two countries.

He warned that if the deportation of Afghan refugees continued while the border remained closed, conditions for those returning would worsen further.

Shakir said that hundreds of vehicles carrying thousands of refugees were stranded along roads from Nowshera to Torkham, with no access to drinking water, food, or shelter. He added that many Afghans had left their camps and homes to return to Afghanistan but had been forced to live under the open sky for more than two weeks, with no tents or camps available.

He appealed that Afghan refugees should not be forced to leave their homes until Torkham is reopened. “Once the border opens, you can ask them to go,” he said, adding that the Chaman crossing in Balochistan remained open.

“If you speak to these people, they will tell you they have been living by the roadside for one or two weeks,” Shakir said.

When asked whether the issue had been raised with the Pakistani government or the UNHCR, the Afghan diplomat said consulate officials had met with the Afghan Commissioner’s office and sent letters to Pakistani authorities.

Asked about Pakistan’s response, he said there had been no change in policy so far.

He added that Afghan refugees, particularly those from Punjab, were still being expelled, and as more arrived at Torkham, the number of stranded refugees continued to grow. “We would be grateful if drinking water, tents, and food could be provided for them,” he said.

The Afghan Consulate also stated that the UNHCR had not provided any assistance to the stranded refugees, most of whom are registered and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

On Friday, Tahir Andrabi reiterated that the border remained closed for trade, adding that reopening the crossing for Afghan transit trade depended on the security assessment. “The current assessment deems the closure necessary; therefore, the border will remain shut until further notice,” he said.