Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate
Border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan
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The Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate (Urdu: افغانستان پاکستان باب دوستی Dari: دروازه دوستی افغانستان و پاکستان Pashto: د افغانستان پاکستان د دوستۍ دروازه) is a double-arched brick gate located on the Afghanistan–Pakistan border near Spin Boldak District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan and Chaman District, Balochistan province, Pakistan. People on both sides cross the border on a daily basis through the gate. The gate also links the two provincial capitals, Kandahar and Quetta.[1]
Pakistan
AfghanistanAfghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate | |
|---|---|
View of the Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate in 2017 from the Pakistani side | |
  Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate  Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate  Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate | |
| Coordinates: 30°55′20″N 66°26′41″E | |
| Countries | Pakistan Afghanistan |
| Provinces | Balochistan Kandahar |
| Districts | Chaman Spin Boldak |
| Control | Pakistan Taliban |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
The gate was erected in 2003.[2] The gate facing towards Balochistan bears the words "Proud Pakistani" and "Pakistan First".[3][4][1]
History
On 1 December 2003, the Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate was opened pedestrians of both sides for legally crossing the border.[5]
On 10 January 2007, Pakistani authorities installed a biometric system at the gate in order to monitor the influx of smugglers and militants.[6][7]
On 19 August 2016, a group of Afghan nationals pelted stones at the gate and burnt the flag of Pakistan, after which Pakistan closed the gate and border crossing.[6][8] Few days later, on 1 September, Pakistan reopened the border after an apology from the Afghan side.[6]
The border crossing was used by international forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan as part of a major supply route stretching from the Port of Karachi to Kandahar,[9] with roughly 60 to 100 trucks traversing Chaman daily.[3] On 14 July 2021, the Afghan side of the border crossing was captured by Taliban forces as part of the 2021 Taliban offensive.[10]
2025 Afghanistan–Pakistan clash
On the early morning of 15 October 2025, some Taliban officials stated that the Afghanistan–Pakistan Friendship Gate at the border crossing had been destroyed by Taliban forces.[11] However, Pakistani officials countered, stating that the Taliban forces had only destroyed the portion of the gate on their side of the border.[12] The following day, the Inspector General of Frontier Corps visited the border crossing and posed in front of the gate on the Pakistani side to demonstrate that it remained intact. A Pakistani media outlet also reported that the gate was in its original condition on the Pakistani side.[11]
