Border with Afghanistan reopened
CHAMAN CROSSING WAS SHUT AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING ON NOVEMBER 13
Pakistan yesterday reopened a key border crossing with neighbouring landlocked Afghanistan for trade and pedestrian movement after a weeklong closure.
The decision to open the border came following a meeting between Pakistani and Afghan officials, Chaman Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Hameed Zehri told the reporters.
The border opening facilitated stranded citizens and traders on both sides. A large number of trucks carrying import and export goods were stuck on both sides.
The Chaman border crossing, known as Friendship Gate, was shut after a deadly shooting on November 13 in which one Pakistani security personnel was killed and two others wounded.
Friendship Gate
A man crossed into the Pakistani side from the Afghan border and opened fire at the security personnel posted at the Friendship Gate, resulting in the killing of one security personnel and injuring two others, Chaman DC Zehri said last week. Shortly after the incident, there was a prolonged exchange of fire between the security forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to media reports.
Pakistan border authorities called a meeting of the Afghan forces and demanded that the armed man, who had fired at the Pakistani security personnel, should be handed over to the Pakistani authorities, but the Afghan officials refused to hand over him, sources said.
During November 17 press briefing, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson also confirmed that the matter “has been raised with Afghan authorities and is currently under investigation”.
The motive for the attack on Pakistani guards remains unclear. The footage showed the attacker suddenly opening fire in the presence of Taliban border guards. The Afghan border authorities said that the Taliban were not involved in the shooting and hinted that the attackers “might be terrorists”.
Pakistan had earlier refused to reopen the border until the Afghan authorities get custody of the armed attackers. However, the border has now been opened after assurances from Afghan Taliban officials that the “terrorists” behind the incident would be arrested and strictly punished, Zehri said.
Both sides agreed to take measures to avoid such incidents. An Afghan interior ministry spokesperson told the media that the clash had occurred due to a “misunderstanding” and the incident was being investigated.
Pakistan’s government has repeatedly requested the Afghan authorities in the last few months to secure the PakAfghan border region and stop terrorists from using Afghan soil to carry out activities inside Pakistan.