Normalcy at Pak-Afghan Torkham border after Taliban capture Kabul

The business activities at the Torkham border are as per usual on the very next day Taliban captured Kabul without any resistance from the Afghan Army and nationals of both countries are being allowed to cross border after necessary travel documents checking amid high alert security, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Pakistani authorities are checking the travel documents of the nationals of both countries. Vehicles are carrying fruits and vegetables from Afghanistan into Pakistan at the border crossing.

On Sunday, the Torkham border was reopened for all kinds of goods transport that were closed for few hours in the day.

Taliban fighters took positions on the posts after Afghan police and border forces laid down their arms before them on Sunday dramatic scenes when Taliban fighters faced no resistance from the Afghanistan Army.

Soon after capturing the border posts, the Taliban alerted the Pakistani officials who rushed to seal the border by shutting down six gates.

The development came a day after Pakistan had reopened the Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing with Afghanistan, following two rounds of successful negotiations with the Taliban on repatriating stranded individuals.

Reacting to the development, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the Torkham border was closed long ago due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Chaman border is open," he said and added, "Afghan sides should know that talks are the only way forward."

In a blitz assault in the last few days, the Taliban had gained control of Afghanistan’s all main cities including Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif, Herat, and Kandahar leading to capturing of the Afghan capital Kabul.

The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing generates huge revenue for both sides. Nearly 1,000 trucks carrying commercial goods cross the border each day during times of peace. The Chaman-Spin Boldak border was closed last week after the Taliban took control of Spin Boldak.

The Taliban then demanded the Pakistani authorities to allow Afghans stranded in Pakistan to cross the border. After the talks, it was decided that persons with Afghan Identity Cards or Refugee Registration Cards issued by Pakistan should be allowed to crossover.

Officials said the opening would be a relief to traders who had stocks of perishable goods to transport.

The latest Taliban assault comes in the backdrop of the US and NATO forces withdrawing from the war-torn country. All foreign troops will leave Afghanistan by August 31.