Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
May 27, 2017
Pakistan’s military says authorities have reopened the main Chaman border crossing on May 27 at Afghanistan’s request after it was shut down earlier this month after bloody clashes broke out, killing 15 people on both sides.
The moves comes on the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan. The military said in a statement that the border was reopened on “humanitarian grounds.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to maintain a cease-fire in the border town of Charman, where nine Pakistanis and six Afghans were killed on May 5, the statement said.
Islamabad says it closed the major crossing after Afghan troops opened fire on a Pakistani census team, sparking a deadly firefight.
Afghanistan claims that some of the villages visited by the Pakistani census-takers fall within their territory. The two countries have agreed to use Google maps to help settle the dispute.
Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of providing sanctuaries for Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network on its soil, while Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering Pakistani Taliban.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP