UPDATE - Pakistan shuts key crossing with Afghanistan over virus spread

ADDS DETAILS, REVISES DECK

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan on Tuesday closed a key border crossing with neighboring Afghanistan in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The northwestern Torkham border, one of the two key crossings with war-weary Afghanistan will remain closed for cross-border movement for an indefinite period, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Twitter.

The border, he said, has been closed on the recommendation of the country’s COVID-19 task force, the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), following a rise in infections in Afghanistan.

“On the advice of the NCOC all types of immigration departure and arrival will be closed from today (Tuesday) at the Torkham border till the fresh guidelines,” Rashid said.

However, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, clarified later in the day that the border will remain “open for Pakistanis and Afghans returning to their countries, students and patients.”

“All trade and transit traffic is also open. However, COVID-19 related safety precautions are required to be followed in all cases,” he said on Twitter.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share 18 crossing points, with Torkham and the southwestern Chaman border being the most used ones.

A recent spike in coronavirus cases amid a third wave has badly hit Afghanistan, pressuring the country’s already fragile health care system.

- Fresh cases in Pakistan

Pakistan on Tuesday reported 830 more infections, bringing the overall tally to 964,490.

The South Asian country also reported 25 deaths from COVID-19, pushing the nationwide toll to 22,452.

The number of active cases in the country stands at 33,390, while 908,648 patients have recovered so far.

Pakistan, which has mostly received vaccines from China, has administered nearly 18 million shots to date.

Anyone over 18 years old is eligible for vaccination in the country.

It has also started administering the Moderna jab at select vaccination centers across the country.