Torkham remains closed for second day

 Torkham remains closed for the second consecutive day on Sunday, leaving hundreds of commercial vehicles stranded on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The blame game continues, with both sides pointing fingers at each other for the latest shutdown at the Torkham crossing, which began late Friday night, as per officials on either side who spoke to AFP.

On Friday, Afghan border official Abdul Jabbar Hekmat stated, "Torkham is closed to commercial truck drivers without visas from Pakistani authorities."

However, Pakistani officials on Saturday denied the imposition of a visa requirement. They clarified that the border was closed after Afghan counterparts were informed that truck drivers could only cross with a valid passport, a document many Afghans lack.

"In line with our updated policy, Afghan officials were informed last night that cargo drivers would only be allowed to enter our side if they possess a passport," explained a Pakistani customs official.

Read Pak-Afghan trade at Torkham border stops over visa dispute

He emphasized that this regulation had been agreed upon in previous meetings between Afghan and Pakistani authorities on border rules. "However, instead of adhering to the previously agreed-upon regulations, the Afghan border officials chose to close down border trade."

The result of this disagreement is the stranding of hundreds of trucks at the crossing, although the border remains open to pedestrians.

Recent months have seen temporary closures of crossings between the two countries. Last year, Islamabad launched a massive operation against undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, leading to tightened document requirements for Afghans entering the country.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have experienced increasingly tense relations, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban government of not addressing militants staging attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil—a claim denied by Kabul.

The Torkham crossing, located equidistant between Islamabad and Kabul, faced frequent closures last year, with tensions occasionally escalating into armed clashes between border guards across the frontier.

WITH INPUT FROM AFP