Nawaz issues orders to immediately reopen Pak-Afghan border

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered to reopen the Pak-Afghan border with immediate effect, DawnNews reported.

The decision was taken as a goodwill gesture as the countries enjoy religious, cultural and historical relations, the prime minister was quoted as saying.

The prime minister hoped that the Afghan government will take measures to eliminate the basis upon which the borders were closed.

“A durable peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace and stability in the region,” Nawaz maintained.

The premier was of the view that the prolonged closure of borders was against the interest of people and economy.

In the aftermath of blast at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh last month, the government had decided to seal border crossings with Afghanistan for an indefinite period.

The Pak-Afghan border crossing at Torkham and Chaman were immediately sealed for all kinds of communication due to the security concerns.

However, earlier in March, Pakistan temporarily opened border crossings at Torkham and Chaman to allow stranded Afghan nationals to return to their country.

The border crossings remained open on March 7 and 8, “in order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas and wish to return to their country”, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release had stated.

Source: Dawn