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PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN: The traditional commerce and motion of individuals between Pakistan and Afghanistan totally resumed on Saturday after the 2 sides reopened a key border crossing that was shut practically per week in the past by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, stranding individuals and hundreds of vehicles carrying meals and important objects.
The Afghan embassy in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, introduced the reopening of the Torkham border on Saturday on Twitter. Pakistani officers and Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed administrator in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province additionally confirmed that the border crossing is open to passengers and commerce.
The announcement sparked a wave of pleasure amongst those that had been ready for the reopening of the worldwide commerce route since Sunday, when Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers closed the crossing. The Taliban had claimed Islamabad was not abiding by an settlement with Kabul to permit sick Afghan sufferers and their caretakers to cross into Pakistan with out journey paperwork for medical care.
Final Monday, Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards exchanged hearth, wounding a Pakistani soldier. Since then, officers from the 2 sides had been in talks to resolve the difficulty amid calls for from individuals on either side to right away reopen the crossing.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s protection minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, and secret service chief, Lt. Gen. Anjum Nadeem, traveled to Kabul on an unannounced however beforehand scheduled go to and met senior Taliban officers to debate the closure and different points.
After the go to, the crossing was briefly reopened by the Afghan Taliban to permit among the hundreds of vehicles that had lined up for days on the border — many with greens, fruits and different perishable meals objects — to cross over and ease the backlog. However Pakistan shut the border on Thursday, saying it wanted an evidence from the Afghan aspect in regards to the abrupt closure of the border on Sunday.
Pakistani and Taliban officers on Friday held talks and eventually agreed to reopen the border.
On Saturday, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan joint Chamber of Commerce and Business, mentioned “we’re blissful to verify that Torkham is totally open for commerce and motion of individuals.” He mentioned jubilant Afghan and Pakistani truck drivers had been crossing the important thing commerce route with provides.
Though the Torkham border crossing is a crucial business artery and a commerce path to Central Asian nations for Pakistan, the Islamic nation has additionally accused the Afghan Taliban of offering sanctuary for Pakistani militants whose cross-border assaults have led to a spike in violence in Pakistan.
Pakistan lately warned that it has the best to focus on Pakistani Taliban sanctuaries in Afghanistan if the Afghan Taliban administration fails to rein within the militants, rising the prospect of extra cross-border violence. The Pakistani Taliban, often known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate group however allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized energy greater than a 12 months in the past as US and Nato troops withdrew from the nation after 20 years of battle.
The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the TTP, which in latest months has stepped up assaults in Pakistan, the place safety forces typically raid their hideouts.
The Afghan embassy in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, introduced the reopening of the Torkham border on Saturday on Twitter. Pakistani officers and Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed administrator in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province additionally confirmed that the border crossing is open to passengers and commerce.
The announcement sparked a wave of pleasure amongst those that had been ready for the reopening of the worldwide commerce route since Sunday, when Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers closed the crossing. The Taliban had claimed Islamabad was not abiding by an settlement with Kabul to permit sick Afghan sufferers and their caretakers to cross into Pakistan with out journey paperwork for medical care.
Final Monday, Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards exchanged hearth, wounding a Pakistani soldier. Since then, officers from the 2 sides had been in talks to resolve the difficulty amid calls for from individuals on either side to right away reopen the crossing.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s protection minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, and secret service chief, Lt. Gen. Anjum Nadeem, traveled to Kabul on an unannounced however beforehand scheduled go to and met senior Taliban officers to debate the closure and different points.
After the go to, the crossing was briefly reopened by the Afghan Taliban to permit among the hundreds of vehicles that had lined up for days on the border — many with greens, fruits and different perishable meals objects — to cross over and ease the backlog. However Pakistan shut the border on Thursday, saying it wanted an evidence from the Afghan aspect in regards to the abrupt closure of the border on Sunday.
Pakistani and Taliban officers on Friday held talks and eventually agreed to reopen the border.
On Saturday, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan joint Chamber of Commerce and Business, mentioned “we’re blissful to verify that Torkham is totally open for commerce and motion of individuals.” He mentioned jubilant Afghan and Pakistani truck drivers had been crossing the important thing commerce route with provides.
Though the Torkham border crossing is a crucial business artery and a commerce path to Central Asian nations for Pakistan, the Islamic nation has additionally accused the Afghan Taliban of offering sanctuary for Pakistani militants whose cross-border assaults have led to a spike in violence in Pakistan.
Pakistan lately warned that it has the best to focus on Pakistani Taliban sanctuaries in Afghanistan if the Afghan Taliban administration fails to rein within the militants, rising the prospect of extra cross-border violence. The Pakistani Taliban, often known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate group however allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized energy greater than a 12 months in the past as US and Nato troops withdrew from the nation after 20 years of battle.
The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the TTP, which in latest months has stepped up assaults in Pakistan, the place safety forces typically raid their hideouts.
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