By Tahir Khan
ISLAMABAD: The Afghanistan Interior Ministry said Monday that one Afghan soldier was killed and two injured during an exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces at Torkham, a key border crossing between the two countries.
Pakistan has not issued any statement on the incident that started late Sunday night, hours after both sides failed to agree on the Torkham border reopening.
However, Pakistani official sources at Torkham said at least three soldiers received minor injuries from firing on the Afghan side. The injured include Lance Naik Muqadas Khan, Naik Zakir Khan, and Sepoy Siddiq Khan.
They said, “Afghan Taliban forces used heavy and small arms to shell Ayub Post around 2:30 am. Three soldiers received injuries while firing continued from both sides.”
A truck driver died in a stampede as drivers fled after firing began, according to witnesses and correspondents.
The border crossing was closed on Feb. 21 over new constructions near the border, which both sides consider illegal.
On his part, the spokesperson of Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, Abdul Mateen Qani, confirmed the death of one soldier in an audio clip shared with the media. He said two other soldiers were also injured.
“Firing started at midnight on Sunday from the Pakistani side and ended on Monday at 11 am. Border police tried to resolve the problem through talks and contacts. Our forces also resorted to retaliation, causing casualties on the Pakistani side,” Qani claimed.
Tension escalated at the Torkham border after Pakistani and Afghan officials, in the second round of talks, could not agree on reopening this key crossing for cargo vehicles and pedestrians.
The Afghan delegation was led by the Deputy Governor of Nangarhar, Maulvi Azizullah Mustafa, Commissioner Torkham Abdul Jabbar Hekmat, and the in-charge of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maulvi Ahmed, according to Hekmat.
A Pakistani security official led the Pakistani delegation, with an official from the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad and some other officials also attending the meeting.
The issue was referred to the leadership in Islamabad and Kabul, the Afghan commissioner said in a video message posted in media WhatsApp groups.
Pakistan’s Position
No official version has been shared by the Pakistani side; however, sources privy to the two meetings say that the Pakistani side clarified that the ongoing construction at the Torkham border terminal is administrative in nature and meant only to facilitate trade, pedestrian movement, and patient travel.
“However, the Afghan side raised objections and opposed the construction of three towers without consultation,” sources further said.
Traders’ Concerns
The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) has expressed serious concerns over the border tension and the closure of Torkham for 11 days, saying it has caused huge financial losses to traders in both countries.
PAJCCI Senior Vice President Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi told Hum English that about five thousand cargo vehicles are stranded on both sides since the border’s closure.
He urged the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to address the challenges faced by traders and the public due to the ongoing closure of the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham.
In an earlier statement, Sarhadi, who is also an Executive Member of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), highlighted the severe impact of the border closure, which has persisted for the last three consecutive days.
He stated that the shutdown has not only halted trade between the two neighboring countries but also left thousands of people in distress on both sides of the border.
He pointed out that approximately 2,500 goods-laden trucks are stranded on the Pakistani side, waiting for clearance, with a similar number of vehicles stuck across the border.
Many of these trucks carry perishable goods, including meat, poultry, vegetables, fruits, and juices, which risk spoilage if not transported promptly.
The PAJCCI official also expressed concerns over the financial strain on the business community, which was already grappling with the imposition of a two percent Infrastructure Development Cess on export consignments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
KP CM and Afghan Consul General meeting
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur called for the reopening of the border in a meeting with Afghan Consul General Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir in Peshawar, the chief minister’s office said.
The Afghan diplomat met the Chief Minister on Sunday and “discussed the difficulties faced by the people and traders of both countries due to the closure of the Torkham border,” according to a statement.
“Both sides agreed to make efforts for the reopening of the border in view of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr,” the statement said.
They further agreed that closing the border is not in the interest of the people on either side.
Gandapur said he is making efforts for the reopening of the border and urged Afghan diplomatic missions to initiate efforts as well, stressing the urgent need for reopening Torkham.