03:31Afghan residents were seen lining up at the Torkham border on Wednesday, as the border with Pakistan remained closed.
Crowds of people queued up behind a wire fence, waiting to cross into the neighbouring country, as armed Taliban members patrolled the frontier wearing uniforms of the former Afghan National Police.
Many Afghans have been reportedly denied entry despite having a valid visa or 'pass' for Pakistan. Some however have been granted entry on the basis of holding a third-country visa, especially one guaranteeing holder would eventually depart Pakistan soil for the USA.
One Afghan resident reported that 'patients and injured people who are dying' were not being allowed to cross, despite having visas.
Pedestrian traffic at the crossing has been tightly restricted by Pakistan since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, with the Pakistani government citing security and pandemic concerns.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed visited the crossing where he denied reports of a refugee crisis saying there was 'no refugee camp,' and that people could come and go 'in a normal way.'
According to UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, there are currently 1.4 million Afghan refugees registered in Pakistan, with many more suspected to be undocumented.
Afghanistan: Visa limbo fuels migrant crisis at Torkham border crossing with Pakistan
Afghan residents were seen lining up at the Torkham border on Wednesday, as the border with Pakistan remained closed.
Crowds of people queued up behind a wire fence, waiting to cross into the neighbouring country, as armed Taliban members patrolled the frontier wearing uniforms of the former Afghan National Police.
Many Afghans have been reportedly denied entry despite having a valid visa or 'pass' for Pakistan. Some however have been granted entry on the basis of holding a third-country visa, especially one guaranteeing holder would eventually depart Pakistan soil for the USA.
One Afghan resident reported that 'patients and injured people who are dying' were not being allowed to cross, despite having visas.
Pedestrian traffic at the crossing has been tightly restricted by Pakistan since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, with the Pakistani government citing security and pandemic concerns.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed visited the crossing where he denied reports of a refugee crisis saying there was 'no refugee camp,' and that people could come and go 'in a normal way.'
According to UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, there are currently 1.4 million Afghan refugees registered in Pakistan, with many more suspected to be undocumented.
Afghan residents were seen lining up at the Torkham border on Wednesday, as the border with Pakistan remained closed.
Crowds of people queued up behind a wire fence, waiting to cross into the neighbouring country, as armed Taliban members patrolled the frontier wearing uniforms of the former Afghan National Police.
Many Afghans have been reportedly denied entry despite having a valid visa or 'pass' for Pakistan. Some however have been granted entry on the basis of holding a third-country visa, especially one guaranteeing holder would eventually depart Pakistan soil for the USA.
One Afghan resident reported that 'patients and injured people who are dying' were not being allowed to cross, despite having visas.
Pedestrian traffic at the crossing has been tightly restricted by Pakistan since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, with the Pakistani government citing security and pandemic concerns.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed visited the crossing where he denied reports of a refugee crisis saying there was 'no refugee camp,' and that people could come and go 'in a normal way.'
According to UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, there are currently 1.4 million Afghan refugees registered in Pakistan, with many more suspected to be undocumented.