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QUETTA: The Pakistan-Afghan border at Chaman, Balochistan, remained closed for another day after a flag meeting at Friendship Gate between officials from both countries failed to agree over the reopening of the crossing.
An armed suspect on the Afghan side opened fire on Pakistani security personnel at Friendship Gate on Sunday, killing one soldier and injuring two others. As a result, the border crossing at Chaman was shut down indefinitely.
During the flag conference, Pakistani officials—including Chaman DC Abdul Hameed Zehri—discussed the necessity for a “joint framework” to stop violent border events with Afghan government representatives. Pakistan also suggested that both sides conduct joint investigations to identify the suspects in the shooting on Sunday.
“A joint mechanism would be evolved to stop such incidents in the future and both countries would cooperate in a probe in case of any future incident at the border,” a senior border security official told Dawn who attended the meeting.
According to reports, the Pakistani government and Afghan Taliban leaders discussed ways to manage border affairs smoothly. The Afghan Taliban team requested Pakistan set up a separate route where women security personnel should be placed in order to address the issues Afghan women confront when crossing the border.
It was decided to hold a second flag meeting on Monday to discuss and make a decision regarding the prospect of reopening the border. The discussion also covered the suspension of trade between the two nations as a result of the border closure in Chaman.
