January 17, 2008	Thursday	Muharram 07, 1429

QUETTA, Jan 16: Afghanistan reopened its border with Pakistan at Chaman on Wednesday, a day after having sealed it in protest against a ban on movement of flour.

Reports received here said that hundreds of Afghans had protested against the border closure in Vash and Spin Buldak in the morning and blocked the Chaman-Kandahar highway.

They asked the Afghan authorities to immediately reopen the border as continued closure would adversely affect businesses on both sides.

Oil tankers supplying fuel to foreign forces in Afghanistan and hundreds of other trucks carrying food and other items remained stranded in Chaman.

Sources said the strong protest forced the Afghan authorities to reopen the border. A senior Pakistani border official confirmed that the border had been reopened ‘unconditionally’.

However, the official said that Pakistan would not allow smuggling of flour.

Traffic was restored at the border by 11am.