Pakistan, Afghanistan briefly pause fight to retrieve body at Torkham Zero Point

• Border forces of both countries agree to temporary ceasefire and local elders from both sides meet for identification process

• Body identified as Afghan national but removal delayed due to consultations with Kabul authorities

 KHYBER: Border forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday reached a temporary understanding to pause the ongoing clashes to “identify and collect” a dead body lying at Zero Point at the Torkham Border Crossing for the past several days.

Local residents had earlier spotted the body and informed security officials, while videos and images of the corpse were also circulated widely on social media.

“Soon after, security officials from both countries agreed to constitute delegations comprising local influential figures to identify and remove the body from the border crossing,” sources said.

“The body, identified by the Kabul side as that of an Afghan national, however, could not be removed from the location due to a delay in consultations among Afghan authorities and the expiry of the temporary pause in fighting,” the sources added.

The Pakistani delegation comprised eight local notables — Malak Tajuddin, Shah Khalid, Murad Hussain, Mufti Ejaz, Saeed Khan, Qari Nazeemgul, Mulana Aaqib and Qari Jihad Shah.

The Afghan delegation consisted of 11 members, including Haji Madtyaar Shinwari, Malak Maula Khan Shinwari, Raees Gul Majeed, Malak Waali Khan, Malak Gul Rehman, Qari Baseer, Mautabar Khan, Mufti Asadullah, Darya Khan, Malak Shahzar and Malak Hilmand.

Five delegates from each side, carrying white flags, met at Zero Point after a temporary pause in hostilities was instituted at around 2:30pm on Thursday.

“Although the deceased was identified as an Afghan national, the members of the Afghan side sought time to consult their higher authorities,” Mufti Ejaz, a senior member of the Pakistani delegation, told the media later.

He added that the issue could not be resolved as the Afghan side failed to return before the 5:30pm deadline for the pause.

Shah Khalid, another member of the Pakistani delegation, said the delegates also searched for additional bodies around Zero Point amid reports of further casualties resulting from cross-border firing between forces of both countries.

According to him, the Pakistani delegation returned to Landi Kotal after the expiry of the deadline, following which cross-border firing between the forces resumed.

Mufti Ejaz, however, expressed optimism about progress on the issue on Friday (tomorrow). He said that if Afghan authorities declined to retrieve the body, it would be brought to a local graveyard in Landi Kotal for burial.

The development comes as Pakistan continues with Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, launched in late February after what Islamabad described as unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces from across the border.