Clash at Pakistan-Afghanistan Commercial Border: One Dead, Several Injured in Heavy Gunfire

Clash at Pakistan-Afghanistan Commercial Border: One Dead, Several Injured in Heavy Gunfire

March 3, Karachi: A firefight between Pakistan and Afghan border security forces at the Torkham border crossing resulted in one death and several injuries, according to a security official.

The Torkham border, a key commercial crossing, has been closed for the past week. Pakistan shut it down late last month due to a dispute over the construction of a new checkpoint on the Afghan side.

The security official mentioned that the injured individual was shot, and one person died due to a stampede caused by heavy gunfire.

The closure of the Torkham border has led to a daily trade loss of $3 million between Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to the source.

Torkham, which connects Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, is one of the two main trade corridors. The closure of the crossing affects about 10,000 people daily, most of whom are Afghan nationals seeking medical treatment or working in Pakistan's border regions.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have soured since November 2023 when Islamabad launched a crackdown on illegal foreigners, particularly Afghan refugees, and announced plans to send them back to their home country. Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing safe havens for militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, a claim that the interim Afghan government denies.