ON Thursday, Pakistani and Afghan authorities reopened the Chaman border crossing to allow cargo trade and travel for thousands of citizens stranded on both sides of the border for nearly a month. The border-crossing — a major transit point for truckers and travellers between the two countries — had been closed down by Afghan Taliban officials, apparently agitated by the Pakistani immigration authorities’ demand for strict compliance with the travel regime. It took several rounds of negotiations between the two sides before the Pakistanis finally yielded to the call of the Taliban governor in Kandahar that instead of requiring Afghan travellers to produce passports as a prerequisite for entry into Pakistan, they be allowed to enter on the production of the Tazkera (the Afghan national identity card) or for Pakistanis to travel using their own national identity cards.

The easing of restrictions on travel between the two countries is a welcome move considering that thousands of Afghans have families in Pakistan, while thousands more — students and those seeking to visit Pakistan for medical treatment — have been stranded due to lack of travel documents. This was because the Taliban reopened passport offices in Kabul after nearly two months since seizing power in mid-August. It is understandable that it will still take some time before the new rulers can streamline the process and put their passport and immigration system back on track. But having said this, the Pakistani immigration and security apparatus must also not lose sight of this country’s safety concerns. The security situation in Afghanistan is far from settled. The threat from the Afghanistan-based IS-K, the TTP and other militant outfits is both real and present. Pakistani officials have to find a via media to facilitate travel between the two countries, without compromising on security concerns. The reopening of the border and trade has also been hailed by traders from both sides. Cash-starved Taliban rulers and a largely agrarian Afghan population badly need revenue and so does Pakistan that is looking for access to Central Asia.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2021