KHYBER: Afghan Taliban guards closed the Torkham border crossing for several hours due to pedestrians’ rush on their side of the border on Thursday.

       Officials on the Pakistan side said the Afghan Taliban shut the border on their own early on Thursday morning without taking them into confidence. They said that the border closure also caused suspension of trade activities with hundreds of loaded vehicles coming to an abrupt standstill.

       They said the Afghan Taliban intimated them that a large number of Afghans aspiring to come to Pakistan had gathered on their side of the border, which the Pakistani authorities were not allowing due to coronavirus restrictions.

       The border crossing was later reopened around midday and trade activities resumed after Afghan Taliban were able to disperse the crowd of desperate Afghans.

       Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2021