Return of Afghan Nationals: Pakistan opens Torkham border for four days

• Ajmal Wazir says the decision to open the border has been taken on the directives of the federal government.
• The federal government opened the border for one-way pedestrian traffic.
• So far, 16 people have died of coronavirus in the province: Information advisor.

(Karachi) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Advisor Ajmal Wazir has said that the Torkham border has been opened from April 6 to April 9. He added the decision to open the border has been taken on the directives of the federal government.

Addressing a press briefing in Peshawar on Monday, the information advisor said that the Torkham border has been opened so that Afghan citizens could return to their country. He said the federal government opened the border for one-way pedestrian traffic. "Only Afghan citizens could cross the border whereas Pakistani citizens are not allowed to return."

He maintained that so far, 16 people have died of coronavirus in the province while the provincial government is giving Rs6,000 each to more than two million families as part of relief fund.

Earlier, the K-P health department allowed use of plasma extracted from the blood of patients having fully recovered from Covid-19 for the treatment of the fresh cases.

A notification issued from the office of secretary health on Sunday said the Provincial Passive Immunisation Committee proposed by the Hayatabad Medical Complex and comprising health experts and professionals had been given a go-ahead to submit a detailed proposal on the subject for onward submission to the National Bioethics Committee for approval.