KHYBER: Scores of Afghan citizens rushed to the Torkham border here on Monday to return home as the border crossing point reopened for pedestrians after remaining closed for three days.

The closure was caused by the relocation of the immigration office to a new building, where Nadra’s technical team was called from Islamabad to install the necessary software to expedite the immigration process.

Border officials told Dawn that the new building would facilitate the processing of the maximum number of Afghans with valid travel documents on a daily basis.

Immigration officials said 2,135 Afghans and 883 Pakistanis crossed over to Afghanistan on Monday after the resumption of pedestrian movement, while 1,445 Afghans and 814 Pakistanis came to Pakistan via the Torkham border during the day.

Afghans rush to the crossing point to return home

The returning Afghan nationals complained about inconvenience, saying they’d to wait for long hours in sweltering heat without sunshades near the new building.

The visitors included women, children, and the elderly, who impatiently waited for their immigration at the new offices.

Sources at Torkham said the National Logistic Cell and other government departments didn’t make any arrangements for the returning Afghans, who flocked to the Torkham border crossing in large numbers.

HIGHWAY BLOCKED: Kukikhel tribesmen blocked the main Torkham Highway in the Bhagiyarree area after midday on Monday when their vehicular convoy was not allowed by the security forces to proceed to Rajgal in the Tirah valley in the morning.

The tribesmen have long been demanding a plan for the remaining displaced families to return to the areas around Rajgal, Pakdarra, and beyond.

They held a series of meetings with officials of the district administration, security forces, and the PDMA to convince them about their return, which, they insisted, was long overdue following the de-notification of those areas by security forces.

After their failure to secure the final return date, the tribesmen on Friday announced that they would go back to their homes by themselves.

A sizeable number of the tribesmen, including some of their elders, started travelling to Rajgal by the Mastak Road. However, security personnel stopped them at the Sheen Kamar security checkpost.

Sources said that the enraged tribesmen had heated exchanges with security personnel at the Sheen Kamar checkpost, but the latter didn’t allow the former to move on and placed barbed wires on the main road to Tirah valley.

The protesting tribesmen had to return to Jamrud from where they started their journey and later blocked the main Torkham Road in the Bhagiyarree area.

The road closure also suspended the movement of trade vehicles to Afghanistan via the Torkham border point. It continued until the evening, with protesters promising to continue pressing for their demands.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2024