At an Afghanistan border crossing, people face uncertainty and a long wait

Pakistani Shafiq Mohammad, 40, stands with his passport and identity cards of his family members, at a closed pedestrian crossing gate, during an organised media tour to the Pakistan-Afghanistan crossing border, in Torkham, Pakistan September 2, 2021. REUTERS/Gibran Peshimam

TORKHAM, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani Shafiq Mohammad, 40, stands at a closed pedestrian crossing gate on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, holding a passport and a stack of identity cards and imploring Pakistani officials to let him and his family through.

The crossing at Torkham, now manned on the Afghan side by armed Taliban soldiers, has long been the busiest between the two countries, but since last month has seen a sharp dip in pedestrian crossings as tight controls have been imposed.