ISLAMABAD, 02 November 2021, (TON): Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Khan said that an agreement had been reached with Afghan authorities to reopen the Chaman-Spin Boldak gate from today (Tuesday), nearly a month after the border crossing was closed for pedestrians and trade by the Taliban.

Ambassador Khan told media “as a result of a meeting between border authorities, Afghanistan and Pakistan have decided to open Chaman-Boldak crossing from tomorrow for pedestrians as well as trade. The two sides will now look forward to ensuring smooth operations of the important border crossing.”

The envoy said he had recently called on Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and, among other issues, they had discussed the need for opening the Boldak-Chaman crossing at the earliest, ensuring the facilitation of cross-border movement of people and trade vehicles on both sides, especially because it was the fruit harvest season in Afghanistan.

He said “we also had discussions about following up on the recent visit of the foreign minister of Pakistan to Kabul, which was extremely productive. We remain closely engaged with Afghan authorities for facilitating the movement of people at all border crossings.”

According to a senior member of the Chaman Chamber of Commerce, Usman Achakzai, the decision to reopen the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing was taken at a meeting held on the Afghan side of the border.