Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Check post at Torkham Border
PAK-Afghan Border
Torkham (Tūrkham) is one of the major
border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Torkham is 5 kilometers (3.1
mi) west of the summit of the Khyber Pass. The location has been used
throughout history by Afghan and Turkic caravans, including marching armies of
powerful empires. Most of these were on their way to Northern India, passing
through Peshawar and then Lahore. Some of the well known regional historical
figures who are believed to have passed through Khyber Pass are Chandragupta
Maurya, Hsüan-tsang, Jayapala, Al-Biruni, Ibn Battuta, Babur, Humayun, Nader
Shah, Ahmad Shah Durrani, Zaman Shah Durrani, Dost Mohammad Khan, and Akbar
Khan along with Subhas Chandra Bose and Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Shedai (Freedom
fighters; Azad Hindustan).
It connects Pakistan's Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Nangarhar province of
Afghanistan. It is the busiest point of entry between the two countries,
serving as a major transporting, shipping, and receiving site. Transported
goods arrive to Tokham from the port city of Karachi in Sindh province (Pakistan).
On the Pakistani side, the border
crossing is at the end of the N-5 National Highway, which connects it to
Peshawar in the east and further connects it to Islamabad by other routes. On
the Afghani side, Highway 7 connects Torkham to Kabul through Jalalabad.
The Pakistan's Frontier Corps and Afghan
Border Police are the main agencies for controlling Torkham border. They are
backed by the Pakistani and Afghan Armed Forces.
Presently, there is also some presence
of NATO forces on the Afghan side of the crossing, mainly personnel of the U.S.
Armed Forces. The American Forward Operating Base Torkham (FOB Torkham) is
located a few miles from the crossing in Nangarhar province (Afghanistan).
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