Torkham Partially Reopens for Afghan Repatriation; 705 Returned First Day

Pakistan partially reopened the Torkham border crossing on April 2 for the limited purpose of repatriating detained Afghan nationals. On the first day of operations, 705 individuals from 223 families were sent back to Afghanistan. General trade and civilian movement remained suspended following the March 27 Afghan sniper incident that wounded a Pakistani Frontier Corps Subedar. Pakistani immigration officials stated that only registered Afghan deportees would be permitted to cross, and that the crossing could be closed again at any time. Afghan officials described the mass repatriations as forced displacement during an active conflict, calling them a humanitarian concern.