QUETTA: The Pak-Afghan border at Chaman was opened on Saturday after 19 days of closure to allow trucks loaded with Afghan transit trade goods, fresh fruits and other items.

However, the people stranded on both sides of the border were not allowed to cross into their countries.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered the other day to open border with Afghanistan at Chaman for allowing trucks carrying transit trade goods.

Official sources said that the border had been opened just for two days —Saturday and Sunday — and the Friendship Gate will be closed on Monday till further orders.

“The authorities opened the border and allowed around 90 trucks to cross into Afghanistan after opening the Friendship Gate,” a senior security official told Dawn.

He said the border had been opened only for trucks carrying food and other items under the Afghan transit trade. These trucks had been parked in Customs yards and other places for the past 20 days.

Customs officials allowed trucks to enter Afghanistan after strict checking, completing documents and collecting duty and other taxes.

“In the first phase, only those trucks will be allowed which are carrying edible items,” the Customs officials said, adding that the border will also remain open on Sunday.

Hundreds of people at Chaman and the Afghan border town of Vesh gathered for crossing the border, but no one was allowed to do so.

“We have opened the border just for allowing around 150 to 200 trucks loaded with edible goods under the Afghan transit trade,” security officials posted at the border said.

The leaders of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chaman have demanded that all trucks should be allowed to cross into Afghanistan.

Officials said that the trucks which had been waiting in Vesh to come back to Pakistan were not allowed to do so by Afghan border authorities.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2020