JALALABAD (PAN): Pakistan reopened the Torkham border crossing in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday, a day after four Afghan patients died, an official said.
A Pakistani official told Afghan News on condition of anonymity the travelers with valid documents were allowed to cross the frontier at 10am in compliance with orders from higher-ups.
Col. Hidayatullah Orya, the border police commissioner, verified the reopening of the border. However, he said the Afghans with refugee registration cards were not allowed entry into the neighbouring country.
A shopkeeper in Torkham, Khaksar, said the problem was yet to be adequately addressed: “Many children, women and the elderly remain stranded on the Afghan side of the Durand Line.”
On Tuesday, four sick people lost their lives as a result of Pakistani guards’ refusal to allow them entry. Given the lack of appropriate health facilities in the country, most people from eastern parts of Afghanistan take their patients to the northwestern city of Peshawar for medical treatment.
Earlier in the day, Landikotal Assistant Political Agent Dr Azmat Wazir said: “We have closed the border and will continue to keep it closed until people have the required documents.”
