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Pakistan closes border with Afghanistan after clashes
Pakistan has reportedly called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to hand over a border guard who is suspected of killing a Pakistani Frontier Corps guard at the Spin-Chaman crossing earlier this week.
Pakistan has accused an IEA border guard of crossing over the border and opening fire on Frontier Corps members, killing one and wound two others.
VOA reported that a senior Chaman administration official told VOA by phone that the border crossing was briefly opened late Monday afternoon to allow stranded Afghan and Pakistani pedestrians to return to their native countries, but no trade convoys were permitted to move in either direction.
“The border terminal has now been indefinitely closed for trade and all other movements. It will not be opened until the handing over of the assailant responsible for the martyrdom of the Pakistani soldier,” Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed Zehri told VOA.
Zehri said Pakistan’s attempts to seek a negotiated settlement to the issue failed to produce an outcome, but there were no clashes on Monday.
The Spin Boldak and the northwestern Torkham border crossings serve as the main trade routes for landlocked Afghanistan for bilateral and transit trade with and through Pakistan.
Residents and traders said Monday scores of trucks transporting Afghan transit trade goods and bilateral shipments were stranded on both sides of the border after Pakistan closed the Chaman crossing.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior has warned that Afghan immigrants who are waiting in Pakistan to relocate to other countries and whose visas have expired will be arrested and imprisoned for three years.
But a member of Pakistan’s parliament strongly criticizes the treatment of the Pakistani police with Afghan immigrants.
“It is extremely unfortunate that we do not have any policy for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. They are mistreated. The federal government has to devise a policy to protect their rights,” said Mohsin Dawar, a member of the Parliament of Pakistan.
He further added that: “Our government does not have any kind of policy on how to deal with Afghan immigrants in Pakistan, and including the government of Pakistan, UNHCR and the whole world have remained silent against this wrong treatment.”
On the other hand, the local authorities of Kandahar say that the talks between the Afghan and Pakistani authorities have also started regarding the reopening of the Spin Boldak-Chaman crossing.
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WFP air services in Afghanistan may be suspended due to funding crisis
According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan has announced the possible suspension of its air services in the country due to a severe shortage of funding.
WFP is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan and the air services have played a vital role in transporting humanitarian aid, especially to areas difficult to reach by land.
In a message posted on X, the WFP explained that in the past, when roads were blocked, air services were the only way to deliver aid to remote areas of Afghanistan. This aid included food, medicine, and other essential items that are essential for the survival of millions of people in need in Afghanistan.
According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.
In addition, the WFP stated that humanitarian needs in Afghanistan continue to increase and millions of people across the country are dependent on humanitarian assistance.
WFP stated that if air services are stopped, it will become very difficult, if not impossible, to deliver vital aid to areas that are not accessible by road.
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Afghanistan and Iran swap prisoners at Milak border crossing
At the same time, two Iranians serving sentences in Afghan prisons were repatriated to Iran.
Afghanistan and Iran exchanged prisoners at the Milak border crossing in south-eastern Iran on Sunday, officials confirmed.
According to IRNA, almost 200 Afghan prisoners held in Iranian prisons in Tehran, Sistan and Baluchestan and Isfahan were handed over to Afghan authorities at the Milak border in Sistan and Baluchestan.
At the same time, two Iranians serving sentences in Afghan prisons were repatriated to Iran.
Iran’s Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs, Askar Jalalian, said recently that more than 4,500 foreign nationals detained in Iran had been sent to their home countries.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
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