ISLAMABAD: A civilian reportedly lost his life, while five others including three security personnel, sustained severe injuries in an armed clash at Torkham border late Sunday night as a result of indiscriminate firing resorted to by the Afghan security forces.
The Torkham crossing point remained closed on 10th consecutive day for trade and pedestrians following a border dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to informed local sources, the confrontation began when Afghan border security personnel opened unprovoked fire on Pakistan’s Ayub Post at the crossing point.
In retaliation, Pakistani security forces targeted Afghan border posts, leading to an intense exchange of fire.
Both sides reportedly used heavy weaponry during the clash.
When contacted, Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan did not comment on the issue.
According to details, a local resident of Bacha Mena village, identified as Hayat Sher, son of Faqir Muhammad, suffered a fatal cardiac attack amid the stampede due to sudden intense firing.
The deceased and two injured civilians were transported to the Landi Kotal Hospital, while the remaining three wounded security men were shifted to another medical facility for treatment.
The gunfight forced hundreds of residents from the border village of Bacha Mena to flee their homes and seek refuge in Landi Kotal.
Furthermore, hundreds of Afghan nationals stranded at the crossing were relocated to safer areas, officials stated.
On the other side, over 1,200 trucks loaded with essential edible items and construction material are parked at Landi Kotal-Torkham Road, halting trade between the two neighbours since last 10 days.
Tension remains high at the border, with both sides maintaining their positions.
Meanwhile, sources said several meetings between Pakistani and Afghan security officials to resolve the issue have ended without any major breakthrough.
It was learnt that Pakistan had closed Torkham border crossing point, late on Friday night, following a dispute was developed among the two bordering states on the construction of a new border security post in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province without prior intimation by the Afghan Interim Government as per the agreement.
Reuters adds: Pakistani and Afghan security forces clashed on Monday at the recently shuttered main border crossing between the two countries, killing at least one combatant and injuring several, officials said.
The conflict erupted on the first working day of the holy month of Ramazan, when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan, which is facing a humanitarian and hunger crisis. A 10-day-old closure of the Torkham border point has stranded thousands of trucks filled with essential goods.
The Taliban-run Afghan Interior Ministry said on Monday the latest firing took place overnight and that one Taliban fighter had been killed and two injured. Two Pakistani security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that members of the Pakistani security forces had been wounded.
Pakistan’s foreign office did not respond to a request for comment.
Abdul Mateen Qaniee, the Afghan interior ministry spokesperson, said that this week’s clashes had been resolved but did not comment on whether the border crossing would now reopen. It has been shut since February 21.
The latest closure, which chamber of commerce officials said was sparked by a dispute over the construction of a border-area outpost, has left 5,000 trucks stranded and traders alarmed at rising losses.
“This is a very serious issue and is badly affecting trade between the two countries,” said Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce.
The Torkham crossing is the main transit artery for travellers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. Trade between the two countries was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Khyber district where the Torkham crossing is located, said the closure had caused at least $15 million in losses.
It could exacerbate the challenges confronting the Afghan economy, which has teetered near crisis since the Taliban took over in 2021, leading to a cut in development aid and sanctions affecting the banking sector that has hampered businesses.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025