Around 200 Pakistani students stuck in Afghanistan seek to return

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 200 Pakistani students stranded in Afghanistan for months due to the closure of the border have demanded permission to cross the Torkham border, according to their representatives.

Taliban authorities have told them that Pakistani diplomatic missions should officially approach them and verify the list with an official stamp. However, Pakistani officials are reluctant to do so, the affected students told Dawn from Kabul and Jalalabad.

The Taliban allowed the first group of 26 students to cross Torkham on Jan 12, and Pakistani authorities also opened the border specifically for them.

However, the students who arrived at Torkham on Jan 13 have not yet been allowed to cross, as Taliban authorities insist that the Pakistani embassy or the consulate in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, should officially verify the list.

Dr Riazullah Wazir and Amanullah Wazir, representatives of the students in Kabul, said students had met the Nangarhar governor and officials at the Pakistani embassy and the Jalalabad consulate, but the issue remained unresolved.

Dr Noman Amir, the students’ representative in Jalalabad, said the current tensions had multiplied their problems, leaving them stuck in Afghanistan for months. He added that the students could not cross the border despite repeated requests to authorities on both sides.

“Visas of many students have expired, and they cannot travel to Islamabad due to the border closure. Dozens of students are also stuck in Pakistan and are facing difficulties attending exams and classes in Afghanistan,” Dr Amir, a final-year medical student in Jalalabad, told Dawn.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul remained in contact with the Pakistani community and assistance was extended to those who approached it.

“We will explore how these 200 students can be facilitated. It is currently winter holidays, and many students may be seeking to return during this time. We will review the situation accordingly after receiving updated information from our embassy,” Mr Andrabi said at his weekly briefing.

However, Dr Amir said that the parents of a couple of students had passed away in Pakistan, but the students were unable to attend their funerals.

“Our exams have ended and winter vacations have already started in Afghanistan, but students still cannot go to Pakistan,” he said. He added that students had contacted officials on both sides, but no one had taken “our problems seriously”.

He appealed to PM Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari to take notice of their situation and find a solution to their problem.

A Pakistani official, requesting not to be identified, told Dawn that the Torkham border was meant to remain open for two days, Jan 12 and 13. He said Pakistan had taken the decision after students stated in a video that the Afghan side had promised to allow them to cross the border.

“We held consultations in Islamabad and decided to open Torkham for our students. But now the Taliban have attached conditions for allowing them to cross,” he said, adding that Pakistan had also agreed to open the border for more students even after Jan 13.

The problem started when students arrived at Torkham on Jan 13 after the first group had already entered Pakistan.

“We spent two nights at Torkham and were hoping to cross the border, but it did not happen,” students said in a video posted online.

One student said the Afghan interior ministry told them to have the list verified with an official stamp from the Pakistani embassy. He claimed that neither the embassy nor the consulate agreed to the demand. However, a consulate official said the mission was in contact with the students as well as officials in Islamabad to resolve the issue.

An official in Islamabad said Pakistan would not make any official communication with the Taliban authorities.

“If they allow the students [to cross], we will open the border crossing,” the official told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026



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