QUETTA: Pakistan has agreed to reopen its border with Afghanistan at Chaman from Thursday after Kabul strongly condemned the burning of the Pakistani flag at the Friendship Gate.

At the fifth round of the flag meeting at the Chaman border on Wednesday, security officials from both sides discussed the matter in view of their previous night negotiations.

A three-member Afghan delegation, led by Col Mohammad Ali, had at the Tuesday night meeting handed over to the Pakistani officials a letter in which the Afghan government strongly condemned the Aug 18 incident of burning of the Pakistani flag and pelting the Friendship Gate with stones.

A senior official of the Frontier Corps posted at the Chaman border confirmed the development and said the letter was later sent to the Pakistani officials concerned authorised to take decision about reopening of the border with Afghanistan.

The Afghan officials also termed the flag-burning incident an attempt by some elements which wanted to create misunderstanding between the two brotherly countries.

“Afghanistan wants good relations with all its neighboring countries, including Pakistan,” Col Mohammad Ali said, adding: “Pakistan is like brother and worsening relations with it is not in the interest of anyone.”

Col Jahangir Changez Khan, who led the Pakistani side in all five flag meetings, informed the Afghan delegation about the government’s decision to reopen the Chaman border.

“Friendship Gate will reopen for all traffic and border crossing of people on Sept 1,” an FC spokesperson told Dawn, adding that the decision had been taken after successful negotiations between the two sides.

Pakistan had closed the border on Aug 19, a day after the Afghan nationals set the Pakistan flag on fire when thousands of Pakistani tribesmen held a rally in Chaman in protest against the Indian prime minister’s remarks on Balochistan.

The 12-day closure of the border had badly affected Nato supplies, transit trade and repatriation of Afghan refugees under a UNHCR programme. Traders from both sides also suffered huge financial losses as all business activities remained suspended for 12 days.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2016