- Immigration sources say received applications from 28 students.
- Say more students are on way back home via Torkham.
- All Pak-Afghan crossings closed since Oct 12 after clashes.
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.
“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.
