ISLAMABAD; The Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan remained closed for all trade activities last Sunday, following a surge in security tensions along the Pak-Afghan frontier.
The closure comes amid heightened hostilities between Islamabad and Kabul, with both sides agreeing on Wednesday to a temporary ceasefire to prevent further escalation.
Pakistanâs Foreign Office confirmed that the 48-hour ceasefire, requested by the Taliban and mutually agreed upon, began at 6pm local time on October 15.
According to a notification from the Directorate General of Transit Trade dated October 15, transit vehicles bound for Afghanistan have reached the crossings but are unable to exit Pakistani territory.
The notification explained that the new tracking systemâlaunched on October 1ârequires RFID seals and tracking devices, and the limited parking space at terminals has led to severe congestion.
It warned that prolonged parking could result in device theft, seal tampering, and shortages of tracking equipment at ports.
As of Wednesday, 107 vehicles had arrived at Torkham and 357 at Chaman, with dozens more en route. To avoid further congestion and ensure cargo security, the directorate has temporarily suspended processing of transit consignments until border operations return to normal.
Torkham and Chaman serve as vital trade arteries between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Trade disruptions have been frequent, including earlier this month when Afghan internet outages hampered customs clearance, and in March when security tensions halted cross-border movement.
