KHYBER: A scuffle between the border guards of Pakistan and Afghanistan caused the temporary closure of Torkham crossing point on Saturday.

Sources at the point told Dawn that Afghan guards exchanged hot words with their Pakistani counterparts and then scuffled with them when the former stopped and beat up a minor Afghan boy for taking sugar in a shopping bag across the border.

The sources said the brief altercation, during which an FC man received a minor injury, caused the closure of crossing point for about an hour, which was later reopened after the intervention of officials from both the sides.

Meanwhile, the Khyber district administration imposed Section 144 on Saturday, banning assembly of more than five persons over security reasons.

A notification issued from the Khyber House said the ban was meant to prevent any breach of peace and bad law and order.

The ban will remain in place for five days, and anyone found violating the restriction would be proceeded against under Section 188 of PPC, the notification warned.

Also in the day, protesters at the Hospital Chowk in Landi Kotal ended their two-week-long protest sit-in against the local hospital’s medical superintendent.

Published in Dawn, Aug 6th, 2023