PESHAWAR – Pak-Afghan border at Torkham and Chaman has reopened on Tuesday after almost 33 days as directed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a day earlier.
The border will remain open for all kinds of traffic and activities from 08.00 am to 05.00 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST). Scores of containers and Afghan nationals have already arrived at the borders in a bid to enter Pakistan.
The border at Torkham was closed on February 16 after a suicide bomber ripped through devotees at Lal Shehbaz Qalandar shrine. Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had claimed responsibility for major attacks in the country.
Pakistan also targeted terrorists hideouts on Pak-Afghan border to convey a message of zero tolerance regarding the use of Afghan soil against Pakistan.
Moreover, Islamabad had handed Afghanistan a list of 76 wanted terrorists believed to be hiding across the border. but Kabul rejected the allegations and insisted that Pakistan should reopen the key crossings between the two neighbours.
On Monday, premier Nawaz Sharif ordered immediate reopening of Pak-Afghan border as a goodwill gesture. He hoped that Kabul administration would address the grievances cited for the closure of border.
