Travellers blocked: Afghan-Pakistan land crossings shut since Oct 12

Trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has dropped sharply as the main border crossings between the two countries stay shut, more than a year after Pakistan closed them. A joint chamber of commerce official said bilateral trade has fallen by about 95 percent, while official Pakistani figures show a steep decline in the value of goods moving between the neighbours.

Key facts

• Pakistan closed the main border crossings with Afghanistan on 12 October 2025 after deadly clashes between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban.
• Mohammad Younus Mohmand, Vice President of the Afghan chapter of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said bilateral trade has fallen by about 95 percent.
• Pakistan's Trade Development Authority reported bilateral trade of $358 million in fiscal year 2025-26, down from $1.3 billion in 2024-25.
• Pakistan said in September it was ready to reopen the crossings if the Taliban took measures against militant groups operating from Afghanistan.

What is happening at the border?

Pakistan shut the main border crossings with Afghanistan on 12 October 2025, following deadly clashes between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban. The crossings have remained closed since then.

Mohmand said trade with Pakistan has effectively stopped, with transit in both directions — Afghan goods through Pakistan and Pakistani goods through Afghanistan to Central Asia — at a complete halt.

How much has trade fallen?

Figures released by Pakistan's Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in August showed bilateral trade fell 95 percent in 2026-27 compared with the previous year, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported. TDAP also reported that bilateral trade fell to $358 million in fiscal year 2025-26, down from $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2024-25 — a decrease of about 74 percent.

Pharmaceutical exports from Pakistan declined 25.53 percent in the first quarter of 2026-27, a drop Pakistan's Bureau of Statistics primarily attributed to the disruption of trade with Afghanistan.

Why are the crossings closed?

Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban deteriorated after Pakistani authorities accused the Taliban of harboring Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that has claimed attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban publicly deny harboring any militant group, but a U.N. report released in August said the Taliban continue to support TTP.

In September, Pakistan's government said it was ready to reopen the border crossings and resume trade if the Taliban took measures against militant groups operating from Afghanistan.

What this means for travellers

The main border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain closed, so anyone planning overland travel between the two countries should check the status of the crossings before making plans. The source does not state which specific crossings are affected or whether any alternative routes are open to travellers.

Azarakhsh Hafizi, an economist and former head of the international relations committee at Afghanistan's Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the halt in trade is not in the interest of either country. Mohmand said the Taliban government is seeking alternative trade routes and that he hopes tensions between the two neighbours end soon. No date has been announced for a possible reopening.