A man sits outside a spare parts shop in a market near the Zero Point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo: AFP
SPIN BOLDAK:
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 home.
“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 break. But the border has been closed since October 12, leaving many like him with no viable way back.
Air travel is far too expensive for most, while using smuggling routes involves serious risks. Student representatives estimate that around 500 to 600 young people studying in Nangarhar province alone are waiting for the crossings to reopen.
“Both countries should open the way and let students visit their families,” said 22-year-old medical student Shah Fahad Amjad from Jalalabad. Others fear that their visas or finances could soon become a problem if the impasse continues.
“The situation has created problems for us who are students in Afghanistan, but also for Afghans who are students in Pakistan,” said 23-year-old Barkat Ullah Wazir, who also studies in Jalalabad.
The border stretches more than 2,600 kilometers over rugged mountains. Normally, it is a busy corridor for communities with deep cultural, economic and family ties. The border has largely been closed since the clashes in October.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring terrorists who attack Pakistan, an issue the Afghan Taliban, which took power in 2021, did not address. Mediation efforts have failed, and both sides are warning that fighting could resume
