Pakistan allows UN to send aid to Afghanistan through key crossings

Pakistan will allow the United Nations to deliver relief supplies into Afghanistan through two key border crossings that have been closed for nearly two months, a government official said on Thursday.

- 

After nearly two months of halted cross-border cargo movement, the Pakistani government has begun clearing humanitarian consignments for Afghanistan, marking the first controlled reopening of transit trade since routine trade was suspended in October.

The government has completely suspended customs clearance for both exports and imports, along with Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) cargos, at major border crossings - including Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi, and Angoor Adda — effective from Oct. 12, and at the Chaman border from Oct. 15.

An official letter was issued to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Directorate General of Transit Trade to initiate the movement of consignments belonging to three United Nations agencies through the border crossings at Chaman and Torkham.

Mohammad Anas, a spokesperson for the Khyber district administration in the northwest, told The Associated Press that the border crossings at Chaman and Torkham will be open immediately for UN-requested relief shipments. The border will remain closed for trade and travel.

Initial deliveries will include food, followed by medical supplies and other essentials, Anas said. He said all arrangements were in place at the border crossing, though no UN truck had reached the border as of late on Thursday.