Pakistan, Afghanistan border forces agree to temporary ceasefire at key border crossing

Pakistan and Afghanistan border forces on Sunday agreed to a two-day ceasefire at a key border crossing after weeks of hostilities, an official said.

The Torkham border crossing, which was shut by Pakistan late last month due to a dispute over the construction of a new checkpoint on the Afghan side, will remain closed until the next round of talks.

Over the last two weeks at least one person was killed and several injured while hundreds of families were displaced from both sides due to intense exchanges of gunfire.

The agreement was reached at a jirga or tribal assembly at the Torkham border, which was attended by tribal leaders from both sides, a senior Pakistani official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The Afghan side was represented by a 35-member delegation of tribal elders.

The two sides also agreed to cease of "all kinds of" construction on both sides of the border until the next round of talks slated for Wednesday, the official added.

The border is likely to be opened after the second round of talks, he added.

The closure of the Torkham crossing, which connects Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, has led to a daily loss of $3 million in bilateral trade, according to the official.

Torkham is one of the 18 crossings between the two neighbors, which have been locked in a border dispute for decades, leading to frequent closure of land connections.

Some 10,000 people, mainly Afghans, use the crossing daily to seek medical treatment and earn a livelihood in Pakistan's border areas.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been sour since November 2023, after Islamabad launched a crackdown on illegal foreigners, mostly Afghan refugees, and announced it would send them back to their countries.

Islamabad also accuses Kabul of providing safe havens to militants who launch attacks in Pakistan. The interim Afghan government denies the charge.