Travelling through Torkhem border to be made conditional on June 01

The measures are said to being taken in the wake of Army Public School and Bacha Khan University Charsadda attacks and fleecing of terrorists as a result of Zarb-e-Azb Operation.

Sources said Pakistan Army had in Zarb-e-Azb operation completed the difficult task of clearing tribal areas from militants. However, the terrorists travelled pass Afghan border in guise of common Afghans to make law enforcement agencies’ achievements suspicious.

Formal evidences of such activities had been handed over to the Afghan government, but inaction of the Afghan government in this regard led the Pakistan government to secure its border. Therefore, Pakistan has started installing fence on its border and completed work on four kilometers of range.

Immigration office has been established at a distance of 3 km from Torkhem border in Shaheed Morr area. Passport and other travelling documents would be necessary for everybody, else he would be returned to Afghanistan.

Sources said the model of Torkhem border would later be applied on other seven entrance routes from Afghanistan into Pakistan along tribal areas. The entrance routes include Arandu, Ghulam Khan, Nava Pass, Kolachi and Girsal.

Earlier on May 10, the situation got tense in early morning when the Afghan border security officer, Lieutenant Nisar Ahmad, came to the site and asked the Pakistani border authorities to stop the installation of barbed-wire and fencing near the border.

The Pakistani officials were installing fences to prevent illegal movement on the border.

Afghan border police and Afghan National Army personnel said to had taken positions and moved their tanks and armoured vehicles close to the Torkham border.

Commandant Khyber Rifles (KR) Colonel Tariq Hafeez along contingents of Khyber Rifles, Levies and Khassadar personnel had also rushed to the border and took positions at various spots.

Pakistani authorities closed the Torkham border after the incident and ordered a halt to the traffic moving across the border.

Later, Afghan Ambassador Omer Zakhilwal had on May 13 called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and the two sides agreed to reopen Torkham border crossing for vehicles coming in and going out, and resumption of routine activities.