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nav2In.classList.add('hdr-20__inner--big') } </script> <div class="c-hlights c-hlights--breaking c-hlights--no-item" data-hlight-display="mobile,desktop"> <div class="c-hlights__wrap container p-0"> <div class="c-hlights__nav"> <a role="button" href="#" title="Previous"> <span class="ico ico-chevron-backward m-0"></span> <span class="sr-only">Previous</span> </a> <a role="button" href="#" title="Next"> <span class="ico ico-chevron-forward m-0"></span> <span class="sr-only">Next</span> </a> </div> <span class="c-hlights__label"> <span class="">Breaking News</span> <span class="switcher-trigger"> <label data-for="more-less-1" data-switcher-trigger="true" class="switcher-trigger__label switcher-trigger__label--more p-b-0" title="Show more"> <span class="ico ico-chevron-down"></span> </label> <label data-for="more-less-1" data-switcher-trigger="true" class="switcher-trigger__label switcher-trigger__label--less p-b-0" title="Show less"> <span class="ico ico-chevron-up"></span> </label> </span> </span> <ul class="c-hlights__items switcher-target" data-switch-target="more-less-1"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="content"> <div class="media-container"> <div class="container"> <div class="hdr-container row"> <div class="col-category col-xs-12 col-md-2 pull-left"> <div class="category js-category"> <a class="" href="/z/2930">Pakistan</a> </div> </div><div class="col-title col-xs-12 col-md-10 pull-right"> <h1 class=""> Pakistan Reopens Key Border Point With Afghanistan After Months Of Closure </h1> </div><div class="col-publishing-details col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-2 pull-left"> <div class="publishing-details "> <div class="published"> <span class="date" > <time pubdate="pubdate" datetime="2024-07-24T13:42:14+01:00"> July 24, 2024 13:42 CET </time> </span> </div> <div class="links"> <ul class="links__list links__list--column"> <li class="links__item"> By <a class="links__item-link" href="/author/rfe-rls-radio-mashaal/kuikqo" title="RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal">RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div><div class="col-title col-xs-12 col-md-10 pull-right content-offset"> <div class="intro"> <p >Pakistan has reopened the key Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing with Afghanistan after a nine-month closure that resulted in financial losses and rising anger on both sides.</p> </div> </div><div class="col-title col-xs-12 col-md-10 pull-right content-offset"> <div id="article-content"> <div class="wsw"> </div> </div> </div><div class="col-lg-12 separator"> <div class="separator"> <hr class="title-line" /> </div> </div> <div class="col-multimedia col-xs-12 col-md-10 pull-right"> <div id="galleryItems"> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-801e-08dcabbc4210_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="People wait to cross into Pakistan at the Spin Boldak border crossing in Afghanistan on July 22. After a nine-month closure that incited violent protests by angry residents and traders, Islamabad on July 21 announced that it will reopen the Spin Boldak border crossing point in Chaman." class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">1</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">People wait to cross into Pakistan at the Spin Boldak border crossing in Afghanistan on July 22.<br /> <br /> After a nine-month closure that incited violent protests by angry residents and traders, Islamabad on July 21 announced that it will reopen the Spin Boldak border crossing point in Chaman.</span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-7c53-08dcabbc4220_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="People make their way across the border in Chaman, located in Pakistan&#39;s Balochistan Province, on July 23.&nbsp; Islamabad in October 2023 unilaterally ended the century-old &quot;Easement Rights,&quot; an arrangement that allowed members of Pashtun communities straddling the 19th-century Durand Line border to cross freely to trade and visit extended families.&nbsp;" class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">2</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">People make their way across the border in Chaman, located in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, on July 23. <br /> <br /> Islamabad in October 2023 unilaterally ended the century-old "Easement Rights," an arrangement that allowed members of Pashtun communities straddling the 19th-century Durand Line border to cross freely to trade and visit extended families. </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-3b22-08dcabbc41f5_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="A Taliban security officer stands guard at the Spin Boldak border crossing on July 22. Pashtun communities on both sides of the boundary argued that the border closing harmed their livelihoods and caused significant financial losses.&nbsp; &nbsp;" class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">3</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">A Taliban security officer stands guard at the Spin Boldak border crossing on July 22.<br /> <br /> Pashtun communities on both sides of the boundary argued that the border closing harmed their livelihoods and caused significant financial losses. <br />  </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-22e2-08dcabca1fee_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="Epa-EFE reported that visas and passports were still required to cross the border. Individuals using Afghan &quot;tazkira&quot; (national identity cards) were denied entry into Pakistan." class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">4</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">Epa-EFE reported that visas and passports were still required to cross the border. Individuals using Afghan "tazkira" (national identity cards) were denied entry into Pakistan.</span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-ceaf-08dcabbc3b58_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing -- the second busiest border crossing on the Pakistani-Afghan border -- is approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Kandahar city, Afghanistan, and about 100 kilometers northwest of Quetta, Pakistan. It is a vital trade route. &nbsp;" class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">5</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing -- the second busiest border crossing on the Pakistani-Afghan border -- is approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Kandahar city, Afghanistan, and about 100 kilometers northwest of Quetta, Pakistan. It is a vital trade route.<br />  </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-0f33-08dcabbc4219_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="Trucks wait to cross the border in Chaman. On June 7, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators following the arrests of several activists involved in a sit-in demonstration demanding that restrictions be lifted at the border in Chaman. The clashes left at least 40 people injured, including 17 law enforcement personnel. &nbsp;" class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">6</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">Trucks wait to cross the border in Chaman.<br /> <br /> On June 7, <strong><a href="https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2024/06/afghanistan-pakistan-ongoing-protests-near-chaman-spin-boldak-border-crossing-likely-to-persist-through-at-least-mid-june-following-recent-violence-update-1" target="_self">clashes</a></strong> broke out between police and demonstrators following the arrests of several activists involved in a sit-in demonstration demanding that restrictions be lifted at the border in Chaman. The clashes left at least 40 people injured, including 17 law enforcement personnel.<br />  </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-673d-08dcabbc3b59_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="Pakistani officials said that the border restrictions were necessary to prevent militants from infiltrating Pakistan from Afghan soil." class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">7</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">Pakistani officials said that the border restrictions were necessary to prevent militants from infiltrating Pakistan from Afghan soil.</span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-cf05-08dcabbc3b58_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="A soldier checks documents of people crossing into Pakistan. &nbsp;" class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">8</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">A soldier checks documents of people crossing into Pakistan.<br /> <br />  </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="media-pholder gallery-item js-media-expand"> <div class="img-wrap img-wrap--gallery"> <div class="thumb"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-05a2-08dcabbc3b59_w1024_q10_s.jpg" alt="An officer checks documents of people crossing into Afghanistan at the border. &nbsp;" class="img-wrap--gallery" /> </div> </div> <figcaption> <div class="img-desc img-desc--inverted d-flex"> <span class="img-number">9</span> <span class="caption caption--inverted">An officer checks documents of people crossing into Afghanistan at the border.<br /> <br />  </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="c-author"> <div class="media-block"> <a href="/author/rfe-rls-radio-mashaal/kuikqo" class="img-wrap img-wrap--xs img-wrap--float img-wrap--t-spac"> <div class="thumb thumb1_1 rounded"> <noscript class="nojs-img"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-88ae-08dc16a2f407_w100_r5.png" alt="16x9 Image" class="avatar" /> </noscript> <img alt="16x9 Image" class="avatar" data-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-88ae-08dc16a2f407_w66_r5.png" src="" /> </div> </a> <div class="c-author__content"> <h4 class="media-block__title media-block__title--author"> <a href="/author/rfe-rls-radio-mashaal/kuikqo">RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal</a> </h4> <div class="wsw c-author__wsw"> <p>RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal is a public-service broadcaster providing a powerful alternative to extremist propaganda in Pakistan's remote tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.</p> </div> <div class="c-author__email"> <a 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<div class="ctc"> <input type="text" class="ctc__input" readonly="readonly"> <button class="btn btn--rounded btn--ctc ctc__button" value="text" role="copy link" js-href="https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-reopens-chaman-border-afghanistan/33048871.html" title="copy link"> <span class="ico ico-content-copy ico--rounded ico--s"></span> </button> </div> </li> <li class="share__item share__item--sharing-more"> <a title="More options" data-title-additional="Fewer options" class="btn btn--rounded btn--show-more hidden"> <span class="ico ico--rounded ico-ellipsis ico--s"></span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container" id="more-info"> <div class="body-container"> <div class="row"> <div data-lbox-embed-gallery="true"> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-801e-08dcabbc4210_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="People wait to cross into Pakistan at the Spin Boldak border crossing in Afghanistan on July 22.<br /> <br /> After a nine-month closure that incited violent protests by angry residents and traders, Islamabad on July 21 announced that it will reopen the Spin Boldak border crossing point in Chaman." data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-7c53-08dcabbc4220_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="People make their way across the border in Chaman, located in Pakistan&#39;s Balochistan Province, on July 23.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Islamabad in October 2023 unilaterally ended the century-old &quot;Easement Rights,&quot; an arrangement that allowed members of Pashtun communities straddling the 19th-century Durand Line border to cross freely to trade and visit extended families.&nbsp;" data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-3b22-08dcabbc41f5_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="A Taliban security officer stands guard at the Spin Boldak border crossing on July 22.<br /> <br /> Pashtun communities on both sides of the boundary argued that the border closing harmed their livelihoods and caused significant financial losses.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;" data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-22e2-08dcabca1fee_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="Epa-EFE reported that visas and passports were still required to cross the border. Individuals using Afghan &quot;tazkira&quot; (national identity cards) were denied entry into Pakistan." data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-ceaf-08dcabbc3b58_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing -- the second busiest border crossing on the Pakistani-Afghan border -- is approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Kandahar city, Afghanistan, and about 100 kilometers northwest of Quetta, Pakistan. It is a vital trade route.<br /> &nbsp;" data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-0f33-08dcabbc4219_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="Trucks wait to cross the border in Chaman.<br /> <br /> On June 7, <strong><a href="https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2024/06/afghanistan-pakistan-ongoing-protests-near-chaman-spin-boldak-border-crossing-likely-to-persist-through-at-least-mid-june-following-recent-violence-update-1" target="_self">clashes</a></strong> broke out between police and demonstrators following the arrests of several activists involved in a sit-in demonstration demanding that restrictions be lifted at the border in Chaman. The clashes left at least 40 people injured, including 17 law enforcement personnel.<br /> &nbsp;" data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-673d-08dcabbc3b59_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="Pakistani officials said that the border restrictions were necessary to prevent militants from infiltrating Pakistan from Afghan soil." data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-cf05-08dcabbc3b58_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="A soldier checks documents of people crossing into Pakistan.<br /> <br /> &nbsp;" data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> <div data-lbox-gallery-item-src="https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-05a2-08dcabbc3b59_w1024_q10_s.jpg" data-lbox-gallery-item-title="An officer checks documents of people crossing into Afghanistan at the border.<br /> <br /> &nbsp;" data-lbox-gallery-item-advisory="false"></div> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-md-7 col-md-offset-2 pull-left"> <div class="content-offset"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"> <div class="slide-in-wg suspended" data-cookie-id="wgt-72508-3786434"> <div class="wg-hiding-area"> <span class="ico ico-arrow-right"></span> <div class="media-block-wrap"> <h2 class="section-head">Recommended</h2> <div class="row"> <ul> <li class="col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12 mb-grid"> <div class="media-block "> <a href="/a/kremlin-putin-trump-european-troops-ukraine/33327524.html" class="img-wrap img-wrap--t-spac img-wrap--size-4 img-wrap--float" title="Kremlin Casts Doubt After Trump Says Putin OK With European Troops In Ukraine"> <div class="thumb thumb16_9"> <noscript class="nojs-img"> <img src="https://gdb.rferl.org/3c1c764a-9525-4f02-8a4f-9dd3d70171ef_cx13_cy19_cw83_w100_r1.jpg" alt="Four NATO troops take part in a military exercise in a field in Romania. 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