ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to keep the Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan closed indefinitely, extending a shutdown that has been in place since mid-October.
Officials say the decision reflects Islamabad’s continued dissatisfaction with the security environment along the frontier and the Taliban administration’s failure to act against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Senior Pakistani officials told WE News that the move is intended to make clear that no resumption of trade or transit will be considered until Kabul takes credible, on-ground steps to curb militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
“This is not a temporary closure — it is a strategic decision based on an unacceptable security situation,” an official said. “The Afghan Taliban leadership has been informed that without verifiable action against TTP, the border will remain shut.”
Security Concerns at the Core
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — provinces bordering Afghanistan — which Islamabad attributes to TTP fighters sheltering across the border. Repeated complaints have been lodged with Kabul, but Pakistani security officials say no measurable progress has been made.
Before the closures, Pakistan was one of Afghanistan’s main trading gateways, handling more than $1.5 billion in bilateral trade annually. Despite concerns over the humanitarian and economic fallout inside Afghanistan, Pakistani officials insist that security priorities supersede all other considerations.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi reiterated that trade and transit can resume only when the security situation improves and Kabul demonstrates a willingness to address Pakistan’s core concerns.
Pakistan partially reopened the Torkham border crossing earlier this month to allow thousands of stranded Afghan refugees to return home, officials said, describing the move as a humanitarian exception while broader security concerns remain unresolved.
Restrictions continue on all other cross-border movement, including trade, as Pakistan maintains that the security situation along the frontier is still unstable.
Pakistan closed all border crossings with Afghanistan on Oct. 12. Islamabad has repeatedly emphasized that its decision followed serious and unprovoked incidents along the frontier and was taken to prevent further escalation.
The closure, which lasted nearly five weeks, left thousands of Afghan refugees stranded along with hundreds of trucks carrying goods, suspending key trade routes between the two countries.
Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent months, most claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan), a UN- and US-designated terrorist group. Pakistani officials say the Afghan Taliban’s 2021 takeover has emboldened the TTP and continues to operate from Afghan territory, posing a direct threat to Pakistan’s internal security.
