Pakistan closes key border crossing with Afghanistan amid safety threats

Pakistan has quickly closed a key border crossing with Afghanistan resulting from safety threats, till additional discover, officers mentioned on Sunday (June 29, 2025).

The Ghulam Khan border has been closed after Saturday’s (June 28, 2025) suicide assault in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district and skirmishes within the province, bordering Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani safety official mentioned.

“Following the assault, a curfew has been imposed in North Waziristan, and the border (Ghulam Khan) has been shut down for an unspecified interval,” he mentioned.

At the very least 13 safety personnel had been killed and three others injured within the suicide assault.

Additionally Learn | Suicide automotive bombing in Pakistan kills 14 troopers and wounds 25 individuals

Abidullah Farooqi, spokesperson for the Interim Afghan Authorities’s Border Forces, confirmed the closure on Sunday (June 29, 2025), stating that Pakistani authorities haven’t supplied a transparent clarification for the transfer.

“Pakistani officers have merely instructed automobiles on the crossing to make use of various routes,” Mr. Farooqi mentioned in an announcement.

In a separate press launch, the provincial administration of Khost province of Afghanistan mentioned officers on the Ghulam Khan crossing had been knowledgeable by Pakistani authorities on Saturday (June 28, 2025) night that the route can be quickly closed resulting from ongoing safety threats.

The assertion additional famous that no particular timeline has been supplied for the reopening of the border, and the closure will stay in impact till additional discover.

The Ghulam Khan crossing, situated in Khost province, is a crucial commerce and transit level between the 2 nations, significantly for items travelling to and from Pakistan’s North Waziristan area.

Afghan authorities have urged residents, merchants, and travellers to keep away from the route and as a substitute use different crossings, resembling Torkham or Spin Boldak, till the scenario is resolved.