Pakistan Print edition: 2025-05-03

Goodwill gesture: 150 Afghan stranded trucks allowed to cross Wagah border

Published May 3, 2025 Updated May 3, 2025 07:04am

2 min

By Naveed Siddiqui

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ISLAMABABAD: In a surprise move, Pakistan has permitted over 150 stranded Afghan trucks to cross the Wagah border as a goodwill gesture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) document revealed on Friday.

“The ministry has the honour to inform that in view of the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the government of Pakistan has decided to permit stranded Afghan trucks, carrying goods in transit to India, which entered Pakistan before 25 April 2025, to cross Wagah border for delivering the goods,” reads the letter addressed to Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad.

The letter further states the Islamic Republic of Pakistan presents its compliments to the esteemed Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad and has the honour to refer to the request made by the Afghan side in its note verbal NoECO-06 dated 28th April 2025 regarding the containers stranded at different transit points in Pakistan.

The list of 150 trucks provided by the Afghan Embassy has been transmitted to the concerned authorities for clearance. Details of other stranded trucks, if any, may also be shared at the earliest, said MOFA in the letter.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the esteemed Embassy the assurances of its highest consideration.

Furthermore, Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan’s Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan has confirmed the development, saying the move was a goodwill gesture towards Afghan brothers. “We had extended this facility to Afghanistan, and these trucks had already entered the vicinity before the escalation between Pakistan and India started,” he remarked.

Talking to Business Recorder, the spokesperson said that Pakistan permitted 150 trucks to crossover to India as a special request from Afghanistan. “It is a temporary permission and not of a permanent nature,” he pointed out. It is worth mentioning here that National Security Committee (NSC) had closed Wagah border with India on April 24 and suspended all sorts of trade and crossings.

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