PESHAWAR – After weeks of tension and silence, Pakistan has unsealed the Torkham border crossing, allowing Afghan refugees to tread their way back across the frontier. The decision, confirmed by both Pakistani and Afghan officials, followed a complete lockdown of all border gateways last month—an outcome of violent encounters between Afghan Taliban units and Pakistani border personnel.
The hostilities flared on 11 October when gunfire erupted from the Afghan side, shattering a fragile calm along the rugged terrain. Foreign Office representative Tahir Andrabi disclosed that though the passage now breathes slightly open for refugees, it remains sealed for freight vehicles and routine travelers until tranquility returns. The closure had immobilized a vast line of laden trucks, idling on both sides under dust and despair.
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Deputy Commissioner of Khyber, Bilal Rao, affirmed that Torkham’s iron gates swung open early Saturday exclusively for refugees. Echoing confirmation, two Afghan officials stated that repatriation had begun. From Jalalabad, Quraishi Badlon, head of Nangarhar’s Information and Culture Department, voiced a note of relief: “The Torkham gate stands open once more for our compatriots; we embrace their return.” The Afghan consulate in Peshawar likewise verified the resumption of crossings.
Previously, Afghan Consul General in Peshawar, Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir, lamented the dire plight of refugees stranded by the closure—families marooned along highways, enduring days of hunger and nights without shelter. He emphasized that Torkham, the principal lifeline between Pakistan and Afghanistan, serves as the artery of cross-border human movement. Prolonged deportations under its closure, he warned, would deepen an already grim humanitarian ordeal.
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He described haunting scenes: vehicles jammed from Nowshera to Torkham, refugees with no water to drink or roof to rest under, infants crying beneath open skies. Many, he said, had abandoned camps hoping for a safe passage home but were instead left exposed to the elements for more than two weeks.
Mohibullah implored that no further expulsions be enforced until the passage reopens fully. “Once the gate breathes open, they can return willingly,” he urged. He noted that while the Chaman crossing in Balochistan remained accessible, parity in treatment was needed for Torkham. “If you speak to them,” he remarked, “you will find they have survived along the roadside for days—some for weeks.”
When questioned on whether Kabul’s representatives had sought assistance from Pakistani authorities or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, he confirmed that correspondence and meetings had taken place. Yet, despite these gestures, the policy stood unchanged.
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He added that expulsions had intensified particularly in Punjab province, and as more families reached Torkham, the tide of stranded refugees swelled. He appealed for urgent provisions—clean water, nourishment, and temporary shelters—to stave off worsening misery.
The Afghan Consulate further disclosed that the UNHCR had yet to offer tangible aid to the refugees, many of whom possess valid Proof of Registration cards. Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi reaffirmed on Friday that commercial transit remains suspended and its reopening hinges upon a security reassessment. For now, he stated, the closure endures—an uneasy pause until stability reclaims the frontier.
