KHYBER: Pakistani students who had been stranded in Afghanistan for months due to border closures have started returning home through the Torkham crossing, immigration officials confirmed.
The move comes after the Afghan authorities granted limited permission for students, mainly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to cross back into Pakistan. The Torkham border, along with other border crossings, has been closed to general travel since October 12 following deadly clashes between the two neighbouring countries.
Bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul have recently come under strain with the issue of cross-border terrorism at the centre of tensions. Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Afghan authorities to take verifiable measures to dismantle terrorist groups in Afghanistan and prevent use of its territory for terrorism inside Pakistan.
In October 2025, Pakistan closed several major border crossings following one of the deadliest military escalations between the two countries in recent years. Although a ceasefire was declared on October 19, trade across the border has not yet resumed.
According to immigration sources, several Pakistani students have already entered Pakistan, while more are expected to arrive in the coming days via the Torkham crossing.
Immigration authorities stated that they have received applications from at least 28 students enrolled in various Afghan educational institutions, who are seeking permission to return home, according to sources.
AFP adds: “The students from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (northwest Pakistan) who were stuck on this side of the border, only they were permitted to cross and go to their homes,” said Abdullah Farooqi, Afghan border police spokesman.
The border has “not reopened” for other people, he said.
The land border has been shut since October 12, leaving many people with no affordable option of making it home.
“I am happy with the steps the Afghan government has taken to open the road for us, so that my friends and I will be able to return to our homes” during the winter break, Anees Afridi, a Pakistani medical student in eastern Afghanistan´s Nangarhar province, told AFP.
However, worries remain for the hundreds of students about returning to Afghanistan after the break ends.
“If the road is still closed from that side (Pakistan), we will be forced to return to Afghanistan for our studies by air.”
Flights are prohibitively expensive for most, and smuggling routes also come at great risk.
Anees hopes that by the time they return for their studies, “the road will be open on both sides through talks between the two governments.”
