Pakistan has reopened a border crossing with Afghanistan following a closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports.
Balochistan Province officials reached an agreement with their Afghan counterparts to open the key Chaman border, crossing, ending a shutdown that lasted almost six months, Radio Free Europe reported.
Travelers, laborers and traders protested the closure, leading to a protest on July 31 that turned violent as protesters clashed with security forces. At least six people died.
order crossings resumed with immediate effect, with the Bab-e-Dosti Gate now remaining open every day during normal business hours, according to the Anadolu Agency.
Pakistan moved to contain the virus by closing all of its borders, resulting in many foreign visitors finding themselves stranded in the country, VOA News reported. They included patients seeking medical treatment, traders and people visiting relatives.
The Kabul government made an appeal in April to temporarily reopen the border and allow for those stranded by the closures to return home, and the Pakistani government agreed to the “special request.”
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“As a neighbor and in view of fraternal bilateral relations, Pakistan remains in abiding solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, particularly at this time of global pandemic,” a statement from the foreign minister said.
The border remained open for four days before closing again.
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The Afghan-Pakistan border was created in 1893 between then-British India and the Emirate of Afghanistan, stretching for 2,430 kilometers.