KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistan reopened the Torkham border on Saturday after three weeks of closure, allowing only Afghan refugees deported from the country to return, while all other movement remains suspended.
The country shut all crossings with Afghanistan on 11 October following intense multi-day clashes with Taliban forces. A ceasefire, brokered in Doha on 19 October, brought the fighting to a halt.
Officials on both sides confirmed the reopening, underscoring that it is temporary and restricted to refugee repatriation. Pakistani authorities said commercial transport, patient crossings, and routine travel are still suspended until further notice.
Hundreds of commercial trucks and travelers, including patients seeking medical care, remain stranded on both sides of the border, awaiting a full reopening.
It also disrupted Pakistan’s deportation campaign, leaving thousands of Afghans held in detention facilities. The Taliban’s ambassador in Islamabad, Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, said nearly 10,000 Afghans are currently in Pakistani jails and detention centers, living in difficult conditions and awaiting deportation.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff have so far stalled. Six days of talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey concluded on 31 October without a breakthrough. However, both Pakistan and the Taliban agreed to uphold the ceasefire and reconvene on 6 November to pursue a longer-term arrangement aimed at easing tensions and avoiding renewed border clashes.
