PESHAWAR: The Chaman border reopened on Tuesday for trade and pedestrians after 26 days closure.
On the first day, thousands of people, stranded on both sides, crossed the Chaman crossing point. The decision to reopen the border was made at a flag meeting with the Afghan Taliban on Monday. The meeting was attended by the Chaman district administration, representatives of relevant departments, including Pakistani forces, and representatives of the Afghan Taliban.
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According to the decision of the meeting, the border will be open for pedestrian traffic for eight hours daily and residents of border areas on both sides will be allowed to travel without visa. Concessions will also be given to Afghan nationals wishing to come to Pakistan for medical treatment, while it has been decided to extend the travel time for vehicles to promote commercial activities.
Pakistani customs officials stationed in Chaman said other measures are being taken, including the deployment of additional staff for nighttime business activities. Pakistani Ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan confirmed the opening of the border on Twitter and said that the movement of commercial vehicles and people on foot has started from Chaman-Spain Boldak border. “We welcome fruit-laden vehicles from Afghanistan to Pakistan,” he wrote. The Pakistani ambassador urged the concerned authorities on both sides to “devote their energies to ensure smooth movement of people and commercial vehicles.”
The Chaman border was closed by the Afghan Taliban on October 5 for differences over the trade procedures. They demanded that Afghan citizens, especially residents of Kandahar province bordering Pakistan, and Afghan patients be allowed to enter Pakistan without hindrance and without legal documents. Thousands of people were stranded on both sides due to the closure of the border, while traders were also losing millions of rupees daily as goods laden vehicles were stranded on both side of the border. An official from the Chaman district administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There have been talks at various levels with the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan has accepted certain condition of the Taliban to reopen the gate.”
A statement issued by the office of the Governor of Kandahar Province, residents and patients of Kandahar Province will be allowed to enter Pakistan without a visa on the basis of Afghan ID card ‘Tazkira’ while the rest of Afghan citizens will be allowed entry via passport. The statement added that “the border will be open 24 hours for commercial activities.”