Torkham crossing was reopened this morning for all traffic after being closed for more than one week by Pakistan, the department of Information and Culture of Nangarhar said in a statement.
The crossing had been closed after Islamic Emirate forces and the Pakistani military engaged in a skirmish over a week ago.
Passengers and patients at the Torkham crossing said that the closure of this crossing brought many challenges.
“My mother was in coma. I took her to Pakistan and treated her. When we were coming back, there was a war and the crossing closed. We stayed there for 9 or 10 days,” said Esmatullah, a passenger.
“I am a student there and I live in a dormitory. I saw many Afghans who had no place to stay and had no money,” said Zahidullah, a resident of Nangarhar.
According to some shopkeepers and officials with the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment, the closing of the crossing caused businessmen of both nations to suffer significant financial losses.
They said that Pakistan blocks the Torkham crossing every year during the fruit and vegetable export season in Afghanistan, but that a permanent solution should be found for this issue.
“During fruit harvest season, this route is blocked. The traders of tomatoes, onions, grapes face problems,” said Zainullah, a driver.
“We can say that businessmen of both sides and the private sector have lost millions of afghani,” said Mokhles Ahmad, deputy of the chamber of commerce and investment of Nangarhar.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, said that after this, more efforts will be made so that this crossing is not blocked for traffic.
“The Pakistanis started the attack and locked the crossing. We repeatedly said to them, let’s sit together and discuss this issue. When we spoke with them yesterday, these issues were raised.
They accepted that the route shouldn’t have been closed; yet we must prevent it in the future,” Mujahid noted.
After nine days, the Torkham crossing reopened after acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Obaid Rahman Nizamani, head of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Kabul, to resolve the issues at the crossing.
