Kabul, March 6 (IANS) The volatile Torkham border between Pakistan and Afghanistan continues to witness violent clashes with at least five people, including a Pakistani commander, three Afghan soldiers, and a local resident, wounded in the past 24 hours.
The border crossing, which remained closed for the 13th consecutive day on Thursday, saw intermittent exchanges of fire between the two sides.
Gunfire has been heard in the area since Tuesday, Amu Tv reported, quoting sources as three Afghan border forces personnel have been killed over the past three days.
Torkham, one of the most important crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, handles the largest volume of trade and movement between the two countries.
The current situation has inflicted a massive blow to the traders on both sides of the border who have lost millions of dollars due to the standoff. Neither the Afghan Taliban nor the Pakistani officials have issued formal statements regarding the latest clashes or the potential steps being taken towards reopening of the crossing.
“The Pakistani government has historically used the Torkham border to pressure Afghanistan and the Afghan people, and it continues to do so. As a result, people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia are suffering widespread losses,” Afghan political analyst Fazl Rahman Oria told Afghan media outlet TOLO news.
Hundreds of travellers and patients, along with thousands of freight trucks, remain stranded on both sides of the Torkham crossing. According to locals, the shooting was initiated first by the Pakistani forces against the Afghan troops and their checkpoints. As a result, some shops and houses of civilians also got affected.
This is not the first time Pakistani forces have opened fire on Afghan troops. Pakistani military personnel have repeatedly attacked Afghanistan’s security forces without any justification, local media in Kabul reported.
Pakistan had shut down the Torkham crossing last month after Afghan forces were engaged in construction activities on their side.
“Whenever we build facilities, they close the route. We tell them, if you don’t allow us to construct facilities, then you shouldn’t build them either,” sid Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, Afghanistan’s Torkham Commissioner.
Meanwhile, several drivers and passengers expressed frustration over the closure, stating that it has caused serious hardships for people.
“One of our patients is here, and we are not allowed to take him to Peshawar for treatment. Another patient has passed away on the other side and Pakistan is not permitting us to bring back the body because the gate has been closed since,” Noor-ul-Haq, who is accompanying a patient at Torkham, told TOLO news.
–IANS
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