Web Desk: A massive fire tore through a commercial market near the Torkham border crossing at Pakistan-Afghanistan border early Saturday, destroying more than 150 shops and causing heavy financial losses to traders, local sources and security officials said.
The blaze erupted around 4 am in the busy trading hub located close to the border and rapidly spread across several sections of the marketplace, engulfing rows of shops before firefighters and local responders could bring the flames under control.
Initial estimates suggest traders suffered losses of nearly 300 million Afghanis as merchandise, storage units and shop structures burned to the ground.
Witnesses said the fire started suddenly in multiple areas of the market, allowing the flames to spread quickly through tightly packed stalls and warehouses. Rescue teams and local residents struggled for hours to contain the blaze, but much of the market was already reduced to ashes by the time the fire subsided.
Rescue officials said the flames raged for several hours, leaving the bustling commercial center almost completely destroyed and wiping out the investments of dozens of traders who depend on cross-border commerce for their livelihoods.
Taliban authorities quickly blamed Pakistan for the incident. However, security sources strongly rejected the allegation, describing it as baseless and misleading.
According to the sources, the affected market lies within Afghan territory, raising questions about how Pakistani forces could have crossed the international border and set an entire market ablaze.
Security officials said the claim appeared to be an attempt to shift blame and escalate tensions along the border.
Meanwhile, local traders said they observed the movement of armed Taliban personnel in the area shortly before the fire broke out, although the exact cause of the blaze remains unclear.
Security sources said the fire may have been triggered by internal factors such as mismanagement or an internal operation. They added that accusations against Pakistan could be part of an effort to deflect attention from the real cause.
The market near Torkham serves as an important commercial hub supporting cross-border trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Its destruction is expected to disrupt trading activity in the area and deepen financial hardship for local merchants already operating in a fragile economic environment.
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