Transit and NATO containers were allowed passage after stringent security checks. PHOTO: AFP
The Torkham border crossing was reopened on Monday after intermittent closures during the past four days due to the Afghan Loya Jirga and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf sit-ins against Nato supplies lines.
Torkham political administration official Amjid Khan told The Express Tribune the border was reopened in the afternoon and a large number of transit containers carrying fruits and vegetables, which had been stranded on both sides of the border, were allowed to cross.
Some of the Nato containers, which had reached before the sit-ins started, were also allowed to cross the border, said Amjid.
He added the closure had brought business activities to a standstill. Traders feared their perishable produce – vegetables and fruits – would rot while being held at Torkham.
According to Amjid, security issues also came into consideration before reopening the crossing. He said one of the reasons why traffic was restored at the crossing was that stranded Nato containers could have been attacked by militants. Upon resumption, the containers were allowed passage after stringent security checks.
Mairaj Khan, another political administration official, said hundreds of people, including children and patients who had been waiting in harsh winter to cross the border, were also allowed movement from both sides of the border.
The border is normally open from 7am to 7pm and people can easily pass through after being cleared by law enforcement agencies.
Tribesmen expressed contentment over the administration’s decision and said they found it much easier to resume routine activities now that the border was open.
Security had been beefed up in the area with increase in patrolling and checking activities in the wake of a suicide attack at the Torkham Customs Clearing Office on November 21. The blast injured at least 26 people.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2013.
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