Pakistan Allows Afghan Refugees to Return as Ceasefire Holds

APP

Peshawar: Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened the Torkham border crossing, enabling thousands of Afghan refugees stranded for nearly three weeks to return home.

Officials confirmed that the reopening was limited strictly to pedestrian movement, while all other cross-border activities — including trade, which involves hundreds of trucks daily — remain suspended.

The Torkham border was sealed on October 12 following deadly military clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Saturday’s reopening came after a breakthrough in week-long negotiations mediated by Turkey and Qatar, which resulted in a ceasefire aimed at de-escalating tensions and preventing a wider conflict.

Authorities from both sides reported that the ceasefire was holding, with no new incidents of fire reported along the volatile 2,611-kilometre Durand Line — a border Afghanistan has never formally recognized.

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The nearly three-week closure had triggered a major humanitarian crisis, leaving thousands of Afghans trapped in limbo. Many were shifted to temporary camps near the crossing, while hundreds more endured harsh conditions waiting by the roadside.

A video released by the Information and Culture Department of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province showed Afghan officials and soldiers greeting returnees with flowers as they crossed back into Afghanistan.

The development came just a day after a minor diplomatic row between the two neighbours. On Friday, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Ahmad Shakeeb, posted on X (formerly Twitter) highlighting the plight of refugees stranded by the closure. In response, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, criticized the ambassador for “violating diplomatic norms” by raising concerns publicly instead of through official channels.

The closure followed some of the most intense border confrontations between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years, underscoring the fragile nature of relations between the two countries.