Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered the immediate re-opening of Torkham, Spin Boldak and other gates that were closed in the aftermath of recent “terrorist” attacks in the country, Pakistani media reported.
Sharif said in a statement that the border was being re-opened as “a goodwill gesture.”
He said he hoped the Afghan government would address the grievances cited for the closure of border.
The Torkham and Spin Boldak gates were closed on February 16 after a suicide attack at Lal Shehbaz Qalandar shrine that killed 75 people and injured hundreds others.
Pakistan authorities claimed the attack on the shrine was planned in Afghanistan.
Following the attack, Pakistan launched missile attacks on the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan, leaving hundreds of families homeless.
Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, also said the gates would reopen on Monday.
The closure of the gates has incurred millions of dollars of losses in trade for both countries.
In line with this, the Afghan government lodged a complaint against Pakistan with the World Trade Organization.
On Sunday, Qurban Haqjo, the deputy minister of Commerce and Industries said Afghanistan’s complaint over the closure of the border crossing by Pakistan would be assessed by a WTO commission on April 6.
According to Haqjo, a number of WTO member nations have come out in support of Afghanistan over its complaint.