Pak-Afghan border at Chaman opens after week-long closure
The Pak-Afghan border, also known as the “Friendship Gate” was closed last Sunday after an armed man opened fire from the Afghan side, killing a Pakistani soldier, the previous week. The incident left two security personnel injured and prompted the closure of the border between the two countries at Chaman, Balochistan.
Balochistan [Pakistan], November 21 (ANI): The Pakistan-Afghan border in Balochistan which remained closed for over a week was reopened Monday, Geo News reported.
The Pak-Afghan border, also known as the “Friendship Gate” was closed last Sunday after an armed man opened fire from the Afghan side, killing a Pakistani soldier, the previous week. The incident left two security personnel injured and prompted the closure of the border between the two countries at Chaman, Balochistan, Dawn reported quoting official sources.
After the friendship gate reopened at the Chaman border, the security officials of both Pakistan and Afghanistan shook hands.
During a flag meeting at Friendship Gate, the two sides discussed the need for a “joint mechanism” to end incidents of violence at the border. The idea of joint interrogations has also been proposed to probe Sunday’s happening, Dawn reported.
Following the incident last week, the trade between the two countries, including the Afghan transit trade, was suspended.
As a direct fallout of the closure of the Afghan-Pak border at Chaman, a large number of trucks carrying Afghan transit trade goods and containers carrying import and export goods were stranded on both sides of the border.
Border clashes between the two sides have been on the rise in the recent past, with Kabul accusing Islamabad of providing a safe haven to ‘anti-social elements. (ANI)
