Pakistan police use tear gas to disperse Afghans

The law enforcement authorities used tear gas to disperse the Crowd of agitated people.

"All the people stranded here are in great misery. We just demand that we be given a small opening, so that we can all go home. We were protesting because everyone is fed up of being stuck here. The severe cold is destroying us," said 62-year old Abdul Manan.

The border has been closed for nearly three weeks now.

Pakistani officials have said the border has been temporarily closed due to fear of an influx of Afghans who are trying to leave their homeland after the Taliban seized power in August.

The Chaman border crossing, the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, links with Spin Boldak in the Afghan province of Kandahar, and is used by thousands of labourers, as well as traders, from both countries on a regular basis.

The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing generates huge revenue for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Nearly 1,000 trucks carrying commercial goods cross the border each day during times of peace.