LANDI KOTAL: Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan reopened on Tuesday after remaining closed for over a month.

Thousands of people with valid travel documents and hundreds of vehicles loaded with multiple trade items crossed the Zero Point and Friendship Gate at Torkham and Chaman borders.

Pakistan closed its borders with Afghanistan on Feb 18 after a series of terrorist attacks in the country killed over 100 people. Militants having sanctuaries in Afghanistan were blamed for the attacks.

Traders welcome govt’s decision

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered the reopening of the borders as a goodwill gestures.

Traders involved in Pak-Afghan trade have welcomed the government’s decision.

At the Torkham border the control of the Zero Point was handed over to the Tochi Scouts wing of the Frontier Corps only two days before the announcement about the reopening of all border crossings with Afghanistan.

Official sources told Dawn that Khyber Khasadar and Levies were ordered to withdraw from Zero Point early on Tuesday morning and personnel of at least two intelligence agencies were also barred from performing duties near the Zero Point portion of the border.

Because a large number of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the Torkham border, officials decided to keep it open till 10pm on Tuesday. The border is usually closed with the sunset.

Personnel of Tochi Scouts have been ordered to allow only those Afghans and Pakistanis who had valid travel documents.

Nearly 80 trucks — loaded with fresh fruits, vegetables and milk — were not allowed to enter Afghanistan by Tochi Scouts because their drivers did not carry with them their passports which had been made mandatory prior to the border closure.

There was resentment among owners of such vehicles because they carried perishable items. They argued that their consignments had been cleared by Customs authorities both in Jamrud and Torkham immediately after the announcement about border reopening.

Afghan transporters without visas and route permits were also not allowed to enter Pakistan which caused inconvenience among hundreds of transporters stranded across the border.

Afghan students studying in private schools in Pakistan were not being allowed to cross the border. According to officials, a decision about Afghan students will be taken once their complete data is collected from their schools.

Hundreds of pushcart vendors were also not being allowed to cross the border.

Officials manning booths of the National Database and Registration Authority at the Torkham border have been ordered not to issue further Rahdari Cards to tribal people who live on both sides of the border. Majority of such tribal people belongs to Shinwari tribe.

Officials told Dawn that the Rahdari Cards facility would be withdrawn after April 30.

Similarly, they said, temporary cards issued to customs clearing agents, transport union members and vendors would also be withdrawn soon.

Because a large number of vehicles are moving towards the Torkham border and coming from there to Peshawar, the political administration of Khyber Agency has deployed additional personnel of Khasadar and Levies on the main Peshawar-Torkham highway to control the traffic.

Saleem Shahid adds from Quetta: Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the Friendship Gate before reopening of the Chaman border.

Hundreds of vehicles carrying trade goods and supplies for US troops crossed into Afghanistan after the reopening of the border, a security official told Dawn on phone from Chaman.

Members of the business community involved in trade with Afghanistan welcomed the government’s decision to reopen borders with the neighbouring country.

A spokesperson for the All Parties Traders Alliance said that the prime minister’s decision to reopen Pak-Afghan borders had saved livelihoods of thousands of people.

Traders and transporters observed a strike in Chaman on Sunday against the closure of the border.

President of Chamber of Small Business and Small Industry, Quetta, Malik Nadeem Kasi said closure of the border caused huge financial losses to traders of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2017