KHYBER: Pakistan reopened the Torkham border crossing on Saturday, allowing the resumption of repatriation of undocumented Afghan citizens a day after Islamabad and Kabul agreed to uphold a ceasefire during talks in Istanbul.
The repatriation process had been suspended since October 11 following intense border clashes between the two countries, which lasted several days before a truce was brokered in Doha on October 19. In response to the violence, Pakistan had sealed all crossings with Afghanistan, halting both trade and travel.
According to Deputy Commissioner Khyber Bilal Shahid, the Torkham border has been reopened after 21 days exclusively for the return of illegal Afghan residents. He confirmed that hundreds of Afghan nationals have gathered at the immigration centre, where authorities are processing exit formalities before their departure. However, trade and pedestrian movement across the border will remain suspended until further notice.
The reopening follows six days of peace talks in Istanbul, where Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire reached earlier in Doha. In a joint statement issued by Turkiye’s foreign ministry, the two sides agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure adherence to the truce and impose penalties for any violations.
The statement further said that “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided in a principal-level meeting in Istanbul on November 6, 2025.” The Istanbul meetings, held from October 25 to 30, were mediated by Turkiye and Qatar and aimed at consolidating peace efforts between the two countries.
A day earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi stated that Pakistan seeks to avoid further escalation and hopes the Taliban regime will prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan. He reiterated that Pakistan has repeatedly shared evidence of the presence and activities of militant factions “Fitna al-Khawarij” and “Fitna al-Hindustan” operating from Afghan soil.
Addressing recent border tensions, Andrabi emphasized that Pakistan had delivered a strong and proportionate response to Afghan aggression, affirming that “Pakistan will defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty under all circumstances.”
Ongoing Strains in Bilateral Relations
Ties between Islamabad and Kabul have remained strained since the Taliban seized power in 2021, amid a surge in terrorist incidents in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Pakistan has persistently urged the Taliban government to curb militant groups responsible for cross-border attacks, but the Afghan regime has shown little willingness to act.
On October 12, Afghan forces launched unprovoked shelling along the border, drawing a decisive military response from Pakistan that resulted in the deaths of over 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants, though 23 Pakistani soldiers were also martyred. Pakistani forces subsequently conducted targeted strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul, destroying several militant hideouts.
Hostilities subsided after the Taliban sought a temporary ceasefire, which Pakistan accepted on October 17. The subsequent Doha talks led to the initial truce agreement, followed by the Istanbul negotiations aimed at ensuring long-term stability.
The two sides are now scheduled to reconvene in Istanbul on November 6 for further deliberations on the peace mechanism.
