Body of Afghan national at Torkham handed over after pause in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq

KHYBER: The body of an Afghan national, which had been lying at Zero Point on the Torkham border for several days, was finally handed over to Afghan authorities by a delegation of local tribal elders on Thursday.

The handover took place a day after Pakistan announced a "temporary pause" in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban, citing the occasion of Eidul Fitr and stating it was being done "at the request of brotherly Islamic countries".

Discovery of the body

The body had been spotted by locals at Zero Point on the Torkham border, who recorded videos of the scene and subsequently reported the matter to security officials. The presence of the body at the border crossing had drawn attention over the past several days amid the tense security situation in the area.

Tribal elders' delegation retrieves the body

A delegation of local tribal elders travelled to the Torkham border to retrieve the body and facilitate its handover. The delegation comprised Malak Tajuddin, Mufti Ejaz, Shah Khalid, Qari Jihad Shah, Qari Nazeem Gul and Saeed Khan.

Shah Khalid, a member of the delegation, told Dawn that the group had remained in contact with both local security officials and Afghan delegates throughout the preceding week, despite the challenging security situation prevailing in the area.

Khalid further stated that their Afghan counterparts had acknowledged on March 13 that the deceased man was an Afghan national. This confirmation paved the way for the eventual handover of the body to the Afghan side.

Background: Operation Ghazab lil-Haq

The development is directly linked to the broader security dynamics surrounding Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, Pakistan's military operation targeting the Afghan Taliban. The operation had created heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, particularly at key crossing points such as Torkham.

Pakistan's decision to temporarily halt the operation ahead of Eidul Fitr, reportedly at the urging of friendly Muslim-majority nations, appears to have created a window for humanitarian gestures such as the handover of the body. The temporary pause provided the necessary de-escalation for the tribal elders' delegation to carry out the sensitive task of retrieving and handing over the remains.

The Torkham border crossing, located in the Khyber district, serves as one of the most significant land routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has been a focal point amid the ongoing military operation.