PESHAWAR: On Sunday, Torkham remained closed for the second day in a row, stranding hundreds of commercial cars on both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The blame game continues, with both sides throwing fingers at one other for the current stoppage at the Torkham crossing, which began late Friday night, as per officials on either side who talked to AFP.
Abdul Jabbar Hekmat, an Afghan border official, declared on Friday that “commercial truck drivers without visas from Pakistani authorities are not allowed to enter Torkham.”
On Saturday, however, representatives from Pakistan rejected the implementation of a visa requirement. They made it clear that the border was sealed when their Afghan counterparts learned that truck drivers needed a valid passport to enter the country—a document that many Afghans do not possess.”
He underlined that Afghan and Pakistani authorities had previously discussed border regulations and had decided on this restriction. “However, instead of adhering to the previously agreed-upon regulations, the Afghan border officials chose to close down border trade.”
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Hundreds of lorries are left stranded at the border due to this debate, yet pedestrians are still able to cross.
Temporary closures of crossings between the two countries have occurred in recent months. Last year, Islamabad started a large campaign against unauthorized Afghans in Pakistan, leading to stricter document requirements for Afghans entering the country.
