Tensions flare up again at Torkham
Key border crossing shut for second straight day
Kamran Yousaf
February 24, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Torkham, a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, remained closed on Sunday for the second consecutive day due to a dispute over the construction of a new post by the Afghan Taliban close to the border in violation of an agreement.
The crossing, which links Khyber district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, was shut on Friday evening after the Taliban started constructing the new post.
There was no official word from the Pakistani side about the closure, but one official confirmed the development. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that as per the agreement between the two sides, any new structure along the border requires prior consent from both sides.
In this case, the Afghan side started constructing the new structure without informing or consulting Pakistan. The Taliban government was asked to halt the work but after their refusal Pakistan had to shut the border.
The border crossing was closed for both trucks and pedestrians. An average of 600 to 700 trucks pass through the crossing while 5,000 to 6,000 pedestrians cross between the two sides each day.
The Torkham border has been closed previously on many occasions for different reasons.
"The current situation is very risky," said another official, adding that the standoff continued on Sunday. The official, when asked, could not provide a timeline for the reopening of the border. He said there were contacts at the local level between the two sides but the issue was yet to be resolved.