Trade resumes as Pakistan and Afghanistan reopen key Torkham border crossing after nearly a month

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Trade between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan resumed on Wednesday at a key border post following a dispute that turned into exchanges of gunfire, officials and local elders said.

The northwestern Torkham border crossing — just one of two main trade routes between the neighbors — had been shut for nearly a month because of the dispute over Afghanistan’s construction of a border post.

The Torkham crossing is in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Pakistani Taliban militants frequently target security forces. It has been closed a number of times in recent years, mainly following clashes between security forces for reasons including Pakistan's repairs of the border fence.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the resumption of bilateral trade.

He said he hoped the movement of people would resume this week.

Ghulam Ali, another Pakistani businessman, said the closure of the Torkham border had caused losses of millions of dollars for importers and exporters as some items perished. He thanked local tribal elders for facilitating the reopening.