Torkham Border Crossing Partially Reopened for Afghan National Returns

Pakistan partially reopened the Torkham border crossing on March 31 to allow Afghan nationals to return to Afghanistan, following its closure since the Afghan sniper incident on March 27. The reopening was limited to Afghan nationals returning home and did not include normal trade or passenger services, which remained suspended. Initial reports indicated hundreds of individuals crossed during the partial reopening, though precise figures varied across sources. The Torkham crossing had been a repeated flashpoint in the conflict, having been shut since February 26 and only intermittently open since. Pakistan's decision to allow returns was described as a humanitarian gesture, but Pakistani officials made clear the crossing would remain closed to commercial traffic until security conditions improved. Afghanistan's Taliban government demanded full reopening and criticized Pakistan's 'collective punishment' approach to border management.