Afghan students, who study in Pakistani universities and have returned home on vacation, fear they might soon miss their examinations if Islamabad does not open the border between the two nations.
Hundreds of Afghans studying in Pakistan on scholarship programs have returned to their country about a month ago after closure of their universities due to Covid-19 spread, reports Pajhwok Afghan News.

In Pakistan, the quarantine period is over and now all schools and universities are open, IBNS said 

Maazullah, a resident of Nangarhar province who is studying in IM Sciences College in Peshawar, told the Afghanistan-based news agency that his offline classes started two weeks ago and only 10 days were left for his final exams of the current semester.

He said they missed important classes and were worried they would fail in the final exams.

Faridullah Momand, another Afghan university student, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he returned to Afghanistan about a month ago due to quarantine but he and many other Afghan students were unable to cross the Torkham border to resume their education.

He asked the Pakistani government to grant special permission to students who would be able to cross the border and attend their classes.

These students said if the border closure continued, they would miss their classes and the academic year without any progress in their education.

Meanwhile,  Tahir  Nawaz, public relations in charge at the Afghan embassy in Pakistan, said efforts are currently underway to resolve the problem of the Afghan students.

However, Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Center in a statement said that the Torkham border would be shut until the next announcement due to high Covid-19 cases in Afghanistan, reports the news agency.

The source told the news agency only Pakistani citizens and Afghans with serious diseases would be allowed entry to the country. (SAM)