QUETTA: Pakistan on Saturday reopened the Friendship Gate on the Afghan border in Chaman which was closed on Friday afternoon after some people in the Vash Mandi area of Afghanistan pelted stones on the Pakistani side of the gate.

Pakistani border authorities closed the gate after windowpanes at the Friendship Gate were smashed by the stones. The gate closure resulted in the suspension of traffic between Chaman and Vash Mandi.

According to officials, people of both sides working in Chaman and Vash Mandi are allowed by Pakistani authorities to cross the border during four hours a day.

But on Friday afternoon, the border authorities did not allow anyone to cross into Pakistan as a large number of people had gathered on the other side of the gate, shouted slogans and pelted it with stones.

Consequently, a number of trucks and trailers carrying transit goods for Afghanistan and other items for Pakistan remained stuck on both sides.

Maj Mohammad Ali represented the Afghan government during negotiations held to reopen the border.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2016