Pak-Afghan trade resumes as Chaman border reopens

The border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Chaman opened on Tuesday after nearly a month, allowing goods transport and citizens of both countries to cross after clearance from security and customs officials, local media reported.

The Chaman crossing -- a major transit point for truckers moving fruit exports from the southern Afghan city of Kandahar -- reopened after a final round of talks between Pakistani and Afghan authorities at Spin Buldak on Monday evening, Dawn reported.

According to the Pakistani publication, the Taliban authorities in Kandahar had closed the border on October 5.

"The border is opened to all kinds of traffic and the people for crossing into Pakistan and Afghanistan," Dawn quoted a senior security border official as saying. He stated that Afghan authorities removed all huge cement blocks and other barricades they had put on the border to facilitate border crossing without any hurdle.

Several thousand Pakistani and Afghan citizens who were waiting to return to their countries crossed the border after completing the procedure agreed upon by the authorities on the two sides, said the publication.

"Crossing of the border is allowed on showing Afghan national identity cards (Terkeera) and Pakistan CNIC, belonging to Chaman and Kandahar," the immigration officials said, adding that a large number of people from both sides crossed the border, Dawn reported.

With the reopening of the Chaman border, Afghan transit trade resumed as trucks carrying goods were allowed to cross after clearance. "Hundreds of trucks crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan and into Afghan areas after customs clearance," customs officials told Dawn.

This comes after several talks between both sides. On Monday, Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Khan said that an agreement had been reached with Afghan authorities to reopen the Chaman-Spin Boldak border, nearly a month after the border crossing was closed for pedestrians and trade by the Taliban, reported the publication.

( With inputs from ANI )

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