Pakistan sets Tuesday deadline for Afghan nationals to cross Torkham border

Pakistan has allowed Afghan nationals to cross the Torkham border to return to Afghanistan on the basis of their national identity cards until Tuesday, local media reported.

Torkham border connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The local authorities had initially imposed an immediate ban on cross-border movement on the basis of the Afghan NICs, Dawn newspaper reported.

"All have been informed that there is a complete ban on returning to Afghanistan on the basis of Afghan ID cards. So don't come to Torkham to travel to Afghanistan," stated a banner put up at the border by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities in Pashto and Urdu languages, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

According to the Pakistani newspaper, the relaxation was made after the Afghan embassy raised the issue with Pakistani authorities, according to a statement posted on the embassy's Twitter in Pashto.

The embassy informed Afghan citizens stuck at Torkham, as well as the Chaman border in Balochistan, that they could return to Afghanistan on the basis of only identity cards for the next three days.

( With inputs from ANI )

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