ISLAMABAD: The Torkham crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen many people entering and exiting the border town since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul last month.
During a recent visit to the border, Xinhua’s reporters witnessed the return of normalcy in travel and trade between the two countries, with border guards allowing travellers with valid documents to enter and exit from the border, at both sides.
Speaking with Xinhua, people entering Pakistan and residents settled along the borderland stretch, hoped that peace will prevail in Afghanistan with no foreign interference.
They also hoped that the Taliban will continue with a positive approach to lay the foundation of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
Riaz Shah, a cab driver in the town of Landi Kotal, believes that peace in Afghanistan is vital for the prosperity of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the general public of Afghanistan wants to see the country progressing in a peaceful environment as the country has been battered by war and terrorism over the last two decades.
“I hope that things will return back to normal after Taliban’s takeover, and all the promises which they have made about education and economic opportunities will be fulfilled,” Shah told Xinhua.
Shah among other border residents is of the view that the U.S. invasion not only led to a severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan but also made the people living along the border in Pakistan suffer from increasing terrorist activities in the region.
Since entering Afghanistan, U.S. troops had caused more than 40,000 civilian deaths and turned around 11 million people into refugees.
He said that the Afghan Taliban have taken several positive steps.
“Afghans now want a breath of fresh air, after all their sufferings they deserve to live in peace. Common Afghans just want to earn their bread and butter in peace, without any threat of getting shot by a bullet or hit by a bomb,” Wahid Ullah, a 38-year-old shopkeeper in Landi Kotal, told Xinhua.
Yaaraaz Shinwari, a border town resident in Pakistan who has many friends and relatives living in Afghanistan, is optimistic that the Taliban will bring a positive change in the country by adopting a progressive approach.
“From the speeches and statements of the Taliban, it seems that they are off to a positive start, and people of Afghanistan and we living closest to them want it to continue,” said Shinwari.
“We are very happy with the steps taken by the Taliban. They have allowed women to do business, work in a hospital, or do whatever they want to do within the boundaries of their law. We want them to keep the good things going.”
The youngster said that amid the improvement of the security situation in Afghanistan, tribal residents of Pakistan who live along the border would also be able to have sound economic activities with the people of Afghanistan.
