Chaman | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Traders from Chaman have arrived in the federal capital to press the government to reopen the border crossing with Afghanistan for cross-border trade, a member of the delegation said on Friday. All border crossings with Afghanistan have remained closed since October 11, and trade has been at a standstill following ground fighting and retaliatory Pakistani airstrikes across their 2,600-kilometre frontier that killed dozens on both sides—the worst fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul. There are no signs of the border reopening, with Taliban rulers refusing to allow United Nations humanitarian aid to use Pakistan’s land route. Many people in Afghanistan depend on UN aid. The traders have held a series of meetings with government officials, including Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, and sought their help in reopening the border, the second key crossing with Afghanistan, the former president of the Chaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Dawn. A delegation led by the Pre...

Calm returned to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman on Saturday after heavy clashes occurred between the two sides a day earlier. At least three civilians were injured in the clashes last night and were shifted to the district hospital in Chaman. On the Afghan side, five people were injured, according to Afghan government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. According to officials, Afghan forces fired mortar shells on the Badani area, prompting security forces to retaliate. However, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding. Prime Minister’s spokesperson for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, however, confirmed the clashes. In a post on X early Saturday morning, he said, “A short while ago, the Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the Chaman border. An immediate, befitting & intense response has been given by our armed forces.” “Pakistan remains fully alert & committed to ensuring it...

After nearly 50 days of closure, Pakistan has partially reopened the Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan to allow United Nations humanitarian cargoes.

QUETTA/ ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan-Afghanistan border continued to remain closed for all kinds of trade activities on Friday, due to persistent security concerns amid tensions with neighbouring Afghanistan. Officials denied reports that Islamabad had partially opened the border crossing at Chaman for Afghan transit trade. Even pedestrians are not allowed to cross the border from both sides, they added. “The border has been closed for the last 12 days and not opened for any commercial activities so far, including transit trade,” a senior customs official told Dawn. The official added that there were very few transit trade trucks parked at the Chaman crossing. The district administration officials also said that they have not yet received any instructions from the authorities from Islamabad about the opening of the border. The border opens for a very limited time for Afghan refugees, who were reaching Chaman from different areas of Balochistan and Karachi, to return to their home country. Officials said only vehic...

• Border remains closed for trade and transit for 6th consecutive day • Red Zone area briefly opened to repatriate Afghan refugees QUETTA: Calm prevailed on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday after the extension of a ceasefire between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces, with no untoward incident reported from any area of the Chaman sector, where heavy clashes had erupted in the early hours of Tuesday last week. Although the border crossings at Chaman and other entry points have closed for the past six days, Pakistan partially reopened the border in the Red Zone area to facilitate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan refugees. “Under tight security, several hundred Afghan refugee families, including women and children, along with their belongings crossed into the Afghanistan over the past three days, a senior official said. The border was opened for three days, while it remained closed for the other three due to intense fighting at four locations in the Chaman sector,” he added. Following the ...

The Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan remained closed for all trade activities last Sunday, in light of the “escalating security situation” along the Pak-Afghan border, it emerged on Thursday. This development comes in the wake of military hostilities between Pakistan and Afghan­istan. On Wednesday, the two neighbours agreed to a temporary ceasefire after a fresh round of deadly cross-border clashes that threatened to escalate into a wider conflict. Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said the ceasefire, implemented at the Taliban’s request and with mutual consent, took effect at 6pm local time on October 15 and would last for 48 hours. According to a notification from the Directorate General of Transit Trade — dated October 15 and available with Dawn.com — transit vehicles headed to Afghanistan have arrived at the crossings but are unable to leave Pakistani territory. “These vehicles are mounted with tracking devices and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) seals under the new tracking and mon...

Amid renewed firing and escalating tensions between Pakistani and Afghan forces, the Torkham and Chaman border crossings have been closed for trade and pedestrian movement from both sides, officials confirmed on Sunday.

• Four terrorists eliminated in Khuzdar operation, says ISPR • Two FC men injured in Kalat grenade attack • Suicide bomber strikes convoy near Kech QUETTA: At least six people lost their lives in a powerful bomb explosion in the border town of Chaman, a suicide bomber targeted a convoy in Kech district, while security forces killed four militants in Khuzdar during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on Thursday. Separately, four people, including two Frontier Corps officials, were injured in a grenade attack and firing by unknown armed men in the Mangochar area of Kalat division late in the evening. Officials said the Chaman blast ripped through a crowded taxi stand near the Pak-Afghan border in the evening, killing four people instantly and injuring two others. The wounded later succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to six. “The explosion took place near makeshift shops,” Assistant Commissioner Chaman Imtiaz Baloch told Dawn. Police and Levies forces rushed to the scene and shifted the dead a...

QUETTA - At least five people were martyred and another one injured in a bomb blast in Balochistan’s Chaman district, police sources said on Thursday.

At least five people were killed and one was injured in a blast in Balochistan’s Chaman on Thursday, according to police. Chaman District Police Officer Abdullah Cheema told Dawn.com that the explosion occurred near a taxi stand in the Pak-Afghan border area of ​​Chaman. “Five people killed and one injured in the explosion near a vehicle,” he said, adding that police and rescue teams were dispatched to the spot. A statement from the Balochistan Home Department said it ordered an investigation into the incident. “The scene of the incident has been surrounded by forces. Levies and other law enforcement agencies are present at the scene. The process of collecting evidence and investigation is underway,” it said, adding that a probe was underway to find out the nature and reasons of the explosion. The government also appealed to the public to avoid rumours and cooperate with law enforcement agencies. There has been an increase in the frequency of attacks in Balochistan as of late. Yesterday, two police stations a...

CHAMAN: A deadly Chaman armed clash exploded on Sunday between two opposing groups, which resulted in the deaths of at least seven persons and injuries to more than twelve others, ARY News reported. According to police sources, one of the critically injured victims succumbed to injuries later, raising the death toll to seven. The Chaman […]