THE Torkham crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has remained closed for two weeks, after a dispute over border demarcation escalated into armed clashes between security forces of both states. While this impasse threatens to further degrade Pak-Afghan ties, the closure and associated hostilities are also having a negative economic and social impact on ordinary people in both countries. Up until Thursday, there was exchange of fire, at times heavy, between Pakistan’s security forces and Afghan Taliban troops. Thankfully, the guns have remained silent since, but the threat of fresh hostilities looms large unless a lasting solution to this dispute is found. Commerce is central to the local economy, but all cross-border trading has been suspended since the initial closure. Moreover, residents of border villages have said their homes have suffered damage in the crossfire, and villagers have been asked by the authorities to vacate the area for safer locales. There have also been reports of loss of life due to the violent cross-border exchanges. While some efforts had been made to negotiate a settlement, these parleys were suspended when the exchange of fire picked up pace.

The Torkham dispute — and indeed all the controversies concerning the Pak-Afghan frontier — needs a permanent solution so that people’s lives are not upended by closures and violence every few months. Pakistan needs to address this issue at higher levels with the Taliban authorities, with a clear demarcation of the frontier so that disputes do not arise. Long closures translate into hefty economic losses for locals and traders dependent on cross-border commerce. Pakistan and Afghanistan must also reach an amicable solution so that there is a mutually agreed regime in place concerning the documents required for border crossing. Pakistan cannot compromise on its security, and the border must be monitored for malign actors. But ordinary citizens in the two countries should not have to suffer frequent closures.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2025