Torkham border reopens after month-long closure

The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened on Wednesday after being closed for nearly a month, facilitating the resumption of trade between the two countries.

The border was shut on February 21, following Afghan authorities' initiation of “trench construction and development work” along the border, which Pakistani forces had cited as the reason for halting movement and trade.

Torkham serves as the primary transit point for goods and travelers between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2024, bilateral trade exceeded $1.6 billion, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.

Naheed Khan, a senior police official in Pakistan's Khyber district, confirmed the reopening of the Torkham gate for transport, while Afghan customs agent Hazrat Nabi Toor verified that trucks could once again cross the border.

Hajji Hikmatullah, the Afghan commissioner at Torkham, said the reopening would allow trucks stuck on either side of the border to resume their journeys. He added that passenger movement through the crossing would begin on Friday.

Hikmatullah called for both countries to create a "comprehensive strategy" to separate political issues from trade, encouraging stronger economic ties.

Asghar Ali, a Pakistani customs agent, noted that hundreds of trucks, carrying goods such as fruits and vegetables, began heading toward the border immediately following the announcement of the reopening. He stressed that the border closure had caused significant financial losses for businesses.

The closure had resulted in millions of dollars in losses for traders, with the border frequently shut due to clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces in the past. Last month, tensions over the Torkham closure led to a skirmish that injured three Pakistani civilians.

The reopening comes amid ongoing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, largely due to an uptick in militant attacks in Pakistan's western provinces near the Afghan border as Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of harboring militants responsible for these cross-border attacks, though Afghan officials have denied the allegations.