Jirgas from Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Monday to enforce a permanent ceasefire on the Torkham border crossing and reopen the order for all commercial activities.

A 36-member Pakistani delegation met with an 25-member Afghan delegation to discuss reopening of the border on Monday.

According to Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, who led the Pakistani delegation, both sides agreed to make the ongoing ceasefire permanent and to reopen the border crossing to allow commercial activities to resume.

Kazmi also said that the Afghan side has agreed to halt the construction of any ‘disputed’ structures on the border. The matter of the construction will be settled in the next meeting of the Joint Chamber of Commerce, allowing the flow of traffic to move normally till then.

The jirga also decided to organise a meeting between Frontier Corps and Afghan border forces to find a way to reopen the border immediately.

The Torkham crossing is one of eight border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan and is used by thousands of pedestrians and commercial vehicles to move in both directions.

However, the border was closed on February 21 after Pakistani forces asked the Afghan side to stop the construction of a check-post in the zero point of the border. In response, Afghan forces took up positions, prompting Pakistani authorities to close the border and evacuate its staff. The border has been closed since then.