KHYBER: A total of 28 Pakistani students, who had been stranded in Afghanistan since the closure of all border crossings on October 12, returned to Pakistan via the Torkham border late on Monday evening, officials and sources said.
Immigration officials at Torkham were called to their offices to process the travel documents of the returning students, who had reached the Afghan side of the border early on Monday morning. Their return followed official assurances from Islamabad facilitating their repatriation after weeks of uncertainty.
However, the students were made to wait for several hours before being allowed to cross the border. Afghan immigration authorities reportedly insisted on receiving formal correspondence from Pakistan’s foreign and interior ministries before completing the immigration process. As a result, clearance was granted only later in the evening.
Officials at the Torkham immigration counter declined to provide detailed information about the students, stating only that they would be permitted to proceed to their respective hometowns once all formalities were completed. It could not be confirmed whether the government had arranged transportation or financial assistance for the students, many of whom were reportedly facing financial difficulties after being stranded for nearly three months.
Sources said the Pakistani embassy in Kabul had earlier shared a list of 28 students with Afghan authorities to facilitate their smooth return. Most of the students belong to various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 15 were enrolled in the medical faculty of Spinghar University in Kabul, while others were studying in medical institutions in Jalalabad, Khost and Paktia provinces.
According to the sources, around 20 of the students were admitted to Afghan institutions in 2023, five in 2022 and the remaining in 2024. All were funding their education through personal resources.
Mudassir Shah Afridi, a resident of Landi Kotal currently in Kabul, told Dawn by telephone that another group of Pakistani students also departed Kabul for Jalalabad on Monday afternoon after learning about the permission granted by Pakistani authorities. He said the group stayed overnight in Jalalabad, fearing the Torkham border would close at night.
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Afridi added that visas of many Pakistani students, traders, transporters and labourers had expired during their stay in Afghanistan. He said many were facing severe financial hardship after being stranded following the border closure due to diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
He further said that Afghan and Pakistani philanthropists in Kabul had helped arrange travel expenses for many returning Pakistanis, particularly students who had exhausted their financial resources during the prolonged wait.
Immigration officials at Torkham refused to share any information about the arrived students.https://t.co/K1l2c2Norg
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 13, 2026
The issue of stranded Pakistani students surfaced weeks after the border closure, when students who had travelled home for vacations or visa renewals were unable to return to Afghanistan for their studies. Several had examinations scheduled for early November, but Afghan authorities reportedly declined to grant academic or visa-related relaxations.
Meanwhile, relatives of stranded students and other Pakistani citizens have urged Torkham border authorities to keep the crossing open until late on Tuesday to facilitate the return of as many stranded individuals as possible.
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