Trade resumes as Pak-Afghan border reopened on PM’s orders

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been reopened after a period of 32 days after Prime Minister (PM) Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif ordered the border to be reopened immediately.

The orders were given as a goodwill gesture and the border was opened at 7 AM on Tuesday. Immediately after the gates opened, trade and other activities began in full swing. Thousands of individuals and vehicles containing cargo, crossed the border to enter the two countries through Torkham and Chaman early on Tuesday morning.

All borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan had been closed for the past 32 days after it was found out that terror activities in Pakistan are being planned and executed from Afghanistan. The border had been closed for an ‘indefinite period’ but the PM’s order ended the closure.

Traders and border crossers were very happy over the decision. “The two countries should resolve matters through discussions, closing the borders is not the right way to find solutions,” a trader said.

The borders at Kurram Agency’s Borki, Kharlachi, Tiri Mingal, and Shaheedano Dand still remain closed as the administrators in the area stated that they have not yet received written orders to open the gates. Authorities have also not opened the border in North Waziristan’s Ghulam Khan area and South Waziristan’s Angor Adda.

In a statement released on Monday, the PM said that the recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan have been traced back to anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan. However, he said that the problem of terrorism faced by both the countries is the same and he hoped that the Afghan government will take measures to address that.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=54666

Posted by fatimaarshad on Mar 21 2017. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.