Kharlachi border crossing between Pakistan, Afghanistan reopens after 7 months

A border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan opened on Saturday after seven months of closure due to sectarian violence, a Pakistani official confirmed.

The development has brought a sense of relief and renewed hope to the long-isolated residents of Parachinar, the capital of Pakistan's Kurram district near the border with Afghanistan.

Confirming the development, Amir Nawaz, the additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Kurram, said that the Kharlachi border has initially been reopened for freight vehicles and will gradually be opened for pedestrian movement as well.

“The border was temporarily closed after an attack on a convoy in Kunj Alizai on Oct. 12 last year, and was completely sealed following another attack in Lower Kurram on Nov. 21,” Nawaz said.

Shorter route

Ziaul Haq, an Afghan driver, welcomed the reopening of the border, saying that the Kharlachi crossing is a much easier and shorter route to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan.

“I had travelled to Afghanistan via the Torkham border but returned through Kharlachi because it takes 10 to 15 days for a single vehicle to pass through the Ghulam Khan or Torkham borders,” Haq said.

“That often leads to goods perishing. Here, the traffic is lighter, which makes the process much smoother.”

Islam Ali, an import-export agent from Parachinar working at the Kharlachi border, told Nukta that the reopening of the border is a welcome development for the people of Parachinar, as the resumption of trade could help pave the way for peace.

“Under normal circumstances, around 100 to 200 goods vehicles pass through the Kharlachi border daily,” he said. “But due to the frequent closures of the Ghulam Khan border in Waziristan and the Torkham border in Khyber, that number often swells into the thousands.”

Visa troubles

Ali further said that people from Parachinar are currently unable to cross into Afghanistan because the Kharlachi border lacks a visa processing system. “With the Tall-Parachinar Road still closed, residents can’t even travel to other cities to apply for visas,” he said.

A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Nukta that earlier, cross-border travel from Kurram to Afghanistan was permitted under the "One Document Regime," where local tribal elders would issue letters for residents.

However, Pakistan has now imposed a ban on travel without valid visas and passports. “The Kharlachi border currently lacks Individual Voluntary Arrangement System (IVAS) and visa system, making it impossible for individuals to cross at this time," the official added.

The reopening of the Kharlachi border has sparked optimism for peace, according to Syed Kamran, a trade union representative and an importer-exporter at the crossing.

“Now, the government should focus on opening the Tall-Parachinar Road for general traffic, as it would alleviate the difficulties faced by the people of Parachinar,” he said.

Nawaz shared that convoys are still moving along the Tall-Parachinar Road, and the government is taking steps to open the road for all types of traffic. "The reopening of the Kharlachi border is a sign that peace is set to be restored in Kurram," he added.