Hundreds of Pakistani Citizens Stranded in Afghanistan after Border Closure

DID Press: Hundreds of Pakistani students, traders, and families have been stranded in Afghanistan for nearly three months following the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The crossings have been shut since October 12 following border clashes between the two countries.

Pakistani students say the prolonged situation has caused serious psychological, financial, and residency-related difficulties. Shah Faisal, a 25-year-old medical student at a university in Afghanistan, said he had planned to spend the winter holidays with his family in Pakistan, but the border closure has prevented his return. According to him, air travel is prohibitively expensive for most students, while using illegal routes poses serious risks to life and safety.

Student representatives estimate that in Nangarhar province alone, around 500 to 600 Pakistani students are waiting for reopening of border crossings. Shah Fahad Amjad, a 22-year-old medical student in Jalalabad, called on both countries to take urgent action to reopen land routes so that students can reunite with their families.

Others fear that if the current deadlock continues, they may face visa problems or run out of financial resources. Barkatullah Wazir, a 23-year-old student in Jalalabad, said the crisis is not limited to Pakistani students, noting that Afghanistani students in Pakistan are facing similar conditions.

Pakistan–Afghanistan border stretches over 2,600 kilometers, running through mountainous and hard-to-access terrain. It is normally a busy corridor for communities with deep cultural, familial, and economic ties. However, since clashes in October, large sections of the border crossings have remained closed.