Pak-Afghan border at Torkham will reopen today
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday issued orders for immediate re-opening of Pak-Afghan border.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan will re-open at 7:00am today (Tuesday), Dunya News reported. Pakistan sealed the Torkham and Chaman crossings on February 16, after a string of suicide attacks killed more than 100 people across the country.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the two main border crossings, Torkham and Chaman, to Afghanistan to be re-opened on Monday, after their closure last month following a series of terrorist attacks by militants operating from across the frontier.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said that recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan have been traced back to anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan. However, the decision to re-open the border is being taken as closure of the border for a long time in the backdrop of religious, culture and historical ties between the two countries would not be in the interest of the people and the economy.
The decision to re-open the border is being taken as a goodwill gesture, he added. Nawaz hoped that the Afghan Government would take measures to address the reasons for which the borders were closed.
He further stated that Pakistan has reiterated time and again that durable peace in Afghanistan is imperative for peace and security in Pakistan. He said that Islamabad would continue to collaborate with Kabul to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the two countries.
Pak-Afghan border crossings were abruptly closed last month after a series of attacks Pakistan blames on militants sheltered in Afghanistan.
