Protests force Pakistan to close Afghan border

Pakistan has closed one of its main border point with Afghanistan after a group of Afghans staged a protest and tried to attack the crossing in the troubled Balochistan province.

A large number of people had gathered near Friendship Gate at Chaman in Balochistan to celebrate Afghanistan's national day on Friday.

During the event, some Afghans attacked the gate and burnt a Pakistani flag in the evening, prompting authorities to deploy additional security troops and shut down the gate for indefinite period, an official said.

Another official said the Afghans belonging to the border town of Spin Boldak protested in favor of India after Pakistan protested against the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Balochistan.

The closure resulted in long queues of trucks and lorries on both sides of the border. The traders on both sides suffered as fresh supplies of essential items have been badly interrupted by the protest