Afghanistan-Pakistan border reopened after Taliban hand over Pak soldier killer

A key border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the southwestern region was reopened for trade and pedestrian movements on Monday, after the Taliban handed over the Afghan assailant who killed a Pakistani soldier at the border.

The shooting took place on November 13 at the Chaman border terminal known as the Friendship Gate. It was reported that Bilal crossed over to the Pakistani side and opened fire on border forces there.

The shooting killed a member of the paramilitary Frontier Corps and injured two others.

But the Islamic extremist group rejected assertions that the assailant was one of their border guards, saying that they have launched an investigation to apprehend him.

A top official from the Chaman district administration, Abdul Hameed Zehri, told VoA News that Pakistan restored the cross-border movement after Taliban assured to “severely punish” the assailant.

Afghan-Pak border to reopen as Taliban handover killer of Pak officer

There are two main transit routes that serve as a key trade and transit movement for Afghanistan to Pakistan, the Chaman terminal and the northwestern Torkham border.

Between those two, there are several other, smaller, terminals on the nearly 2,600-kilometer border separating the two nations.

After the key trading border was closed following the row, the freight movement between the two countries was severely impacted, with hundreds of trucks stranded on both sides.

The cash-strapped Afghan government has been looking to fill its depleting coffers ever since the West imposed sanctions and cut off aid after Taliban took over.

It has heavily relied on Pakistan to generate much-needed revenues. The Pakistani government had recently removed tariffs and eased visa rules in recent months to facilitate trade activities.

(With inputs from agencies)

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