RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal
August 21, 2020
Pakistan has reopened the Chaman border crossing between its Balochistan Province and the Afghan province of Nangarhar.
The border crossing was closed in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan.
Officials said on August 21 they decided to reopen the crossing after talks between Balochistan regional authorities and residents on the Pakistani side of the border.
Local residents have been demanding the reopening of the crossing, which is frequently used by traders and laborers.
Six people were killed on July 31 when a protest rally to demand the reopening of the border post turned violent, resulting in clashes between protesters and security forces.
The 2,430-kilometer-long Afghan-Pakistan border was created in 1893 between then-British India and the Emirate of Afghanistan.