Islamabad, November 1, 2025: Pakistan reopened the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan on Saturday to facilitate the repatriation of Afghan refugees, officials from both countries confirmed.
The reopening comes nearly three weeks after Islamabad closed all Pak-Afghan border crossings following a series of attacks by Taliban forces on Pakistani security personnel earlier in October. The clashes had erupted on the night of October 11, when Pakistani border posts reportedly came under fire from the Afghan side.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the border will remain closed for cargo trucks and regular passengers until the security situation improves. “The current assessment deems the closure necessary; therefore, the border will remain shut until further notice,” he said. The prolonged closure had stranded thousands of trucks and caused severe disruption to cross-border trade.
Khyber District Deputy Commissioner Bilal Rao confirmed that the Torkham crossing was reopened early Saturday morning exclusively for refugee movement. Afghan officials in Nangarhar province and at the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar also confirmed the development.
Quraishi Badloon, head of the Information and Culture Department in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, said from Jalalabad, “The Torkham gate has now been opened for refugees, and we welcome our countrymen.”
The decision follows repeated appeals from Afghan diplomats, who warned that thousands of returning refugees had been stranded in dire conditions along roadsides after Pakistan launched its repatriation drive.
On Friday, Afghan Consul General in Peshawar Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir said that refugees — many with families and children — had been stuck on the roads between Nowshera and Torkham for over two weeks, without access to drinking water, food, or shelter.
“Many Afghans left their homes to return voluntarily but were forced to live under the open sky,” Shakir said, appealing to Pakistani authorities to suspend deportations until the border was reopened. He added that the Chaman crossing in Balochistan remained open.
Shakir said Afghan consulate officials had contacted the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees and written to Pakistani authorities but had not received a change in policy response. He also noted that no assistance had been provided by the UNHCR, even though many stranded individuals possessed valid Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
The repatriation of Afghan nationals has gained momentum since Pakistan announced plans to expel undocumented migrants earlier this year. Tens of thousands have since begun returning to Afghanistan, with Torkham serving as the principal transit point.
While the reopening offers temporary relief to stranded families, normal trade and passenger movement are expected to resume only after a full security review.
