Border closure strains families and trade one year on

October 4, 2026 at 02:20 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Pakistan's closure of nearly a dozen land crossings with Afghanistan, imposed on October 12, 2025, after deadly clashes, has halted cross-border trade and separated families for a year. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have lost their livelihoods, while the Taliban authorities refuse to recognize the Durand Line as a permanent border. The closure marks the longest-ever shutdown of the frontier between the two neighbors.

Key Facts

Pakistan closed nearly a dozen formal and informal land crossings with Afghanistan on October 12, 2025, following deadly clashes between the two neighbors.
The closure has brought cross-border trade to a standstill and left tens of thousands of people on both sides without work.
Pakistani forces have carried out multiple strikes on regions in Afghanistan this year, reportedly killing and injuring over 1,000 civilians.
On October 1, Pakistan carried out air strikes on two Afghan provinces near the border, killing 10 civilians according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The current closure is the longest-ever border closure between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Human Cost

Hazrat Salam, a 40-year-old resident of Landi Kotal, has been separated from his family for nearly two months because of the border closure. Salam previously earned a living transporting goods across the Torkham border crossing, making multiple trips a day. He now travels nearly 200 kilometers to Rawalpindi in Punjab Province to find work, leaving his ailing wife and three children at home. Salam told RFE/RL that for 20 years he would leave for work after breakfast with his family and return before dusk, earning a handsome amount each day.

Border Dispute

Mostly Pashtun tribes live on either side of the Durand Line, drawn in 1893, which demarcates the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Successive Afghan governments, including the Taliban, have refused to formally recognize the Durand Line as a permanent international border. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban authorities deny. Pakistani forces have carried out multiple strikes on regions in Afghanistan this year, reportedly killing and injuring over 1,000 civilians.

Escalating Violence

One attack on the Pakistani military in October last year prompted Pakistan to launch air strikes inside Afghanistan. The Taliban retaliated by targeting Pakistani border posts, triggering several days of deadly clashes. Since then, all major border crossings have remained closed, marking the longest-ever border closure between the two neighboring countries. On October 1, Pakistan carried out air strikes on two Afghan provinces near the border based on credible evidence of militant activity, killing 10 civilians according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.