Daily Times

Pakistan and Afghanistan reached an agreement on Monday for a ceasefire and the reopening of the Torkham trade route for all types of movement.

The breakthrough came during a Pak-Afghan jirga held to address border tensions at the Khyber-Torkham crossing.

Pakistani jirga member Jawad Hussain told the media that both sides agreed to halt hostilities and restore trade and travel at the crucial border crossing.

As part of the agreement, the joint jirga decided to temporarily suspend disputed construction by Afghan forces. The Afghan delegation has requested time until this evening to consult their authorities on the matter.

Hussain said that the Afghan jirga would brief their officials on halting the construction and that the issue would be deferred until the next meeting of the Joint Chamber of Commerce. The final decision on the disputed construction will be taken during that session, while trade activities at the crossing will resume in the meantime. The date for the next meeting will be decided through mutual consultation.

Additionally, officials from Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) and Afghan authorities are set to meet today. The reopening of the Torkham trade route is expected following their discussions. The border crossing was shut on February 21 after tensions escalated when Afghan forces began construction inside Pakistani territory.