Torkham border reopens after 25 days as Pakistan, Afghanistan agree on ceasefire

The Torkham border crossing, the main artery for travel and trade between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan, has reopened after a 25-day closure following successful negotiations by the authorities of the two countries.

Sources told Geo News that the crossing will be initially opened for trade and people would be allowed to cross on foot from Friday onwards.

Following the reopening of the border crossing, bilateral trade has resumed with trucks carrying commercial goods started entering Afghanistan, sources added.

Earlier, head of Pakistani tribal jirga Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi said that Afghan officials have agreed to remove the controversial construction that had led to tensions between the two sides.

He said that a ceasefire would remain in place until the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting takes place, ensuring stability in the region. Pakistani security officials have expressed satisfaction with the Afghan authorities' decision, Kazmi added.

The closure, triggered by tensions over the construction of a bunker by Afghan forces near Zero-Point, severely impacted cross-border movement, suspending all trade and travel between the two countries.

The crossing has been closed since February 21 after clashes erupted. According to security sources, Afghan forces attempted to build a bunker in a disputed area near the border, prompting Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) to respond, according to The News.

Since the closure, the crossing been clogged with truckloads of supplies, mainly to Afghanistan, which faces a humanitarian and hunger crisis and relies heavily on food imports from Pakistan.

Trade between the countries was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024, according to Pakistan's foreign office.

According to customs officials, the Torkham crossing facilitates daily trade worth approximately $3 million and sees the movement of around 10,000 people. The reopening is expected to restore economic activity and ease travel for traders and citizens who rely on this vital border route.

The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.

However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.

Islamabad’s reservations have also been confirmed by a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which has revealed a nexus between Kabul and the TTP with the former providing logistical, operational and financial support to the latter.