Afghans Denied Entry, Taliban Close Main Crossing With Pakistan

Illustration of Pakistan's border with the Taliban at Torkham gate. (Wikimedia Commons/Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor/US Army)

JAKARTA - The Taliban on Monday closed the Torkham border gate, the main crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, to pedestrian movement, a Pakistani official said.

The move came after the Taliban demanded to allow all Afghans gathered at the border to enter the Pakistani side, which Pakistani authorities refused, an official at the border told Anadolu Agency by telephone, on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Earlier, hundreds of Afghans had gathered at the border to enter Pakistan, after rumors Islamabad had opened its borders, which have been closed since July due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

"We facilitate sick people and allow them to enter for treatment in Pakistani hospitals," the official said, adding that Islamabad also facilitates refugees going abroad, citing Anadolu Agency Monday 13 September.

Several journalists en route to the Afghan capital Kabul via the Torkham border crossing were also stuck at the border, after the Taliban closed it to pedestrians from Pakistan. Nevertheless, trading activity went smoothly.

Since August 15, when the Taliban took control of Kabul, more than 30,000 Afghans have returned to their homeland via the Torkham border from Pakistan and about 4,000 have entered Pakistan, according to officials.

However, Islamabad still barred its citizens from entering Kabul after the former Afghan government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled.

On August 15, Pakistani authorities closed the border for hours shortly after Nangarhar Province fell to the Taliban, followed by a swift capture of the capital Kabul.

But they later reopened the main crossing point for bilateral trade, after reaching an understanding with local Taliban leaders, when hundreds of trucks loaded with fresh fruit and other foods were stranded at the border.