Torkham border closure enters sixth day

LANDIKOTAL: The closure of the Torkham border crossing for the last six days has caused huge loss to the national exchequer as trucks loaded with goods have been stranded for almost a week, said a Customs official on Friday.

A senior customs official told this scribe on the condition of anonymity that usually in a day, trade of Rs,987 million took place with Afghanistan via Torkham border. He said in the past weeklong closure trade including export and import worth Rs4935 million could not take place. The official said that the national exchequer would have received the amount of Rs,270 million in the past one week if the border was not closed.

Islamabad and Kabul held successful talks, but the border still remained closed on the sixth day that has caused huge loss to the national exchequer. The Torkham border was closed when an Afghan patient was denied entry into Pakistan as he did not have valid travel documents. The border forces of both countries traded gunfire in which a Pakistani soldier was injured.

The customs official said Pakistan daily exported different goods to Afghanistan worth Rs400 million. He said they export fresh fruit, vegetables, and construction material to Afghanistan via the Torkham border.

He said Pakistan also imported goods from Afghanistan. Hundreds of loaded and empty trucks have been stranded on both sides due to the closure of the Torkham border. Miles long queues of trucks and passenger coaches could be seen parked on the roads.

Khyber Chamber of Commerce spokesman and custom clearing agent Qari Nazeem Gul Shinwari said the perishable goods would start to rot if not transported at the earliest. He said truckers and companies that exported goods to Afghanistan were also facing huge losses. Traders, daily wagers and transporters asked the Pakistan and Afghanistan governments to reopen the border as soon as possible to mitigate the sufferings of the people stranded at the border.

It was decided in the flag meeting held at Torkham that those Afghan citizens stranded in Pakistan would be allowed to enter Afghanistan and Pakistanis in Afghanistan would be allowed to enter via Torkham border to Pakistan.

Around 940 Afghan citizens stranded at Pakistan side of the border were allowed and entered Afghanistan via Torkham while around six hundred Pakistanis who legally visited Afghanistan returned to home country. Pakistani officials said the relaxation of the border was just for one day to avail chance. They said no one will be allowed to cross the border till the further orders from Islamabad.