AVA- Pakistan has reopened the border crossing with Afghanistan at Torkham, two days after a grenade attack on paramamilitary troops in the dusty town.
Shut on Friday, the main Durand Line crossing was reopened late on Saturday after a flag meeting attended by military and civilian officials from the two countries.
A Pakistani newspaper quoted unnamed officials as saying the meeting lasting several hours discussed knotty security issues in detail.
Afghan officials were reminded that Islamabad was doing all it could to help the Afghans, including students studying in Pakistani educational institutions, to cross the border in smoothly.
Pakistan would expedite border fencing, building concrete walls where necessary, increasing the number of surveillance cameras and establishing more security posts, the newspaper reported.
But the Afghan delegation objected to what it called “unprovoked firing” by Pakistani border guards at Afghan check-posts.
In response, the Pakistani officials said their personnel always reacted to Afghan forces’ aggression with a fair degree of restraint.
According to the report, the Afghans expressed displeasure over the repeated closure of the border crossing. The step caused losses to traders on both sides, as well as problems for the sick and elderly Afghans, they argued.
