For a (fictional, but set in the real world) story set in 1962, I need to get my protagonists from the USSR into Afghanistan. I've done some research and found no reliable information about the historical status of todays border crossings. In the west, near Aqina the border crossing was officially opened in 2007 - did it not exist before or was it closed for some time? What was its status in 1962? In the middle, at Hairatan, the bridge was built for the Soviet invasion in 1979. What was there in 1962? To the east, the Tadschikistan border is described a "porous", but roads are sparse and typically run along the border, not over it. Many of them are fairly recent and probably didn't exist in the 60s.
I've exhausted my sources and hope for an answer or pointers to other sources.
So how to cross over from the Soviet Union into Afghanistan in 1962? It would be best if there were at least two options that my protagonists could discuss.
(additional information: For reasons, taking the plane is not an option)