Fresh curbs: Traders set up protest camp at Torkahm

LANDIKOTAL: Torkham Customs clearing agents and traders on Saturday established a protest camp at the Torkham border crossing to protest the travel conditions, including temporary admission documents (TADs) , placed for transporters that have shrunk bilateral trade with Afghanistan.

The sit-in camp led by All Torkham Customs Association President Aimal Khan Shinwari pitched a tent near the zero point in Torkham where many traders, transporters, truckers and other business community members participated.

The protesters were demanding relaxation in the issuance of TADs for cargo vehicles plying between the two countries. The protesters claimed that issuance of the required documents took months which caused financial losses to cargo drivers.

Talking to journalists, Aimal Shinwari said the delay in issuing the documents had affected bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He said thousands of cargo vehicles had been stranded on both sides of the Torkham border for the past month due to the lack of the documents.

Aimal Shinwari alleged the condition of having temporary admission documents was imposed without prior notice to the drivers.

He urged the border authorities to ease up the conditions and allow cargo vehicles to proceed to their respective destinations.

Aimal Shinwarisaid the delay in issuing the TADs needed to be resolved on a priority basis as it was affecting bilateral trade.

The protesters threatened that they would be compelled to give a call for a wheel-jam strike if border conditions were not relaxed by Monday.