A man sits outside an auto parts store in a market near the ground zero border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo: AFP
BOLDAK TURN:
Nearly three months after border clashes led to the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, hundreds of university students, traders and families remain stranded, unable to return to their homes.
“We miss our parents and relatives,” said Shah Faisal, 25, who is studying medicine at an Afghan university and had planned to visit his family in Pakistan during the winter holidays. But the border has been closed since October 12, leaving many like him without any viable way back.
Flights are too expensive for most, while using smuggling routes carries serious risks. Student representatives estimate that between 500 and 600 young people studying in Nangarhar province alone are waiting for the crossings to reopen.
“Both countries should open roads and allow students to visit their families,” said Shah Fahad Amjad, a 22-year-old medical student from Jalalabad. Others fear their visas or finances will soon become a problem if the stalemate continues.
“The situation has caused problems for us, who are students in Afghanistan, but also for Afghans who are students in Pakistan,” said Barkat Ullah Wazir, 23, who also studies in Jalalabad.
The border extends more than 2,600 kilometers through rugged mountains. Normally, it is a corridor traveled by communities with deep cultural, economic and family ties. The border has remained virtually closed since the October clashes.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring terrorists attacking Pakistan, an issue that the Afghan Taliban, who took power in 2021, was not addressing. Mediation efforts have failed and both sides warn that fighting could resume
