Transporters, traders stage protest against border closure

LANDIKOTAL: Traders, transporters and Customs clearing agents on Wednesday staged a protest at Torkham to register anger at the closure of the key border crossing for the last five days.

The Torkham border was shut on Saturday after the government implemented the visa condition for cargo vehicles drivers and their helpers. The protesters, carrying placards and chanting slogans, marched through the Torkham Bazaar to demand the reopening of the border.

Speaking on the occasion, Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association Chairman Mirajuddin Shinwari said both the Pakistan and Afghan governments should address the problems of citizens and relax the border controls for trade activities.

He said hundreds of cargo vehicles had been stranded on both sides of the highway that was causing huge losses to the traders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Edibles worth tens of millions of rupees have gone rotten due to the closure of the border. The taxes collected daily from export and import of goods at Torkham is around Rs150 million,” said Mirajuddin. He said Pakistan should relax the visa conditions for truckers for smooth trade with Afghanistan.

Anti-trade border policies were being pursued, he said, adding traders and business communities rejected the hard rules that hampered trade. It may be mentioned here that talks have been held recently to find a solution to the issue but these were not fruitful. The Taliban-led Afghan government has threatened to permanently shut the Torkham and Kharlachi border points with Pakistan if a mutually agreed solution was not reached on issues, including the visa condition.

Meanwhile, a leader of the Businessman Forum, Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, expressed grave concern over the border closure. He said exporters were facing huge financial losses and damage to items loaded on a large number of trucks that had been stuck at the Torkham border.

He said the government and relevant institutions in consultation with Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Fuad Ishaq should resolve the issue. Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and Pakistan Border Trade Council Chairman Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi and Shakeel Waheedullah Khan expressed concern over the closure of the Torkham border crossing and suggested that visa should be issued to the cargo vehicles drivers and helpers at the border so that trade activities could be revived.

Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi said that the chamber planned to meet the caretaker prime minister, trade minister and other relevant officials after consulting the business community members in this regard.