Govt asked to reopen Torkham border for trade

LANDIKOTAL: Traders Monday said the ongoing closure of the Torkham border caused heavy financial losses to traders, transporters and the public on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border.

Talking to The News, Zahid Shinwari, said the annual bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan stood at nearly one billion dollars, while the daily losses to Pakistan’s national exchequer had reached around Rs700-800 million due to the border shutdown.

He said it had been over a week since the Torkham and other border crossings were closed, which resulted in a sharp rise in inflation on both sides.Zahid Shinwari explained that perishable goods such as fresh fruits, vegetables and other items imported from Afghanistan had got stuck at the border points.

He said Afghan citizens were also suffering due to halted supplies from Pakistan.Zahid Shinwari said that despite the recent Doha peace talks, the border was yet to reopen to restore trade.

He emphasized that even in conflict zones around the world, borders remained open to allow trade and urged both governments to resolve issues through dialogue instead of suspending commercial activities, which, he said, inflicted economic losses on both countries.

The closure not only disrupted trade but also severely affected the livelihoods of labourers and drivers who were dependent on cross-border movement, he added.Hundreds of trucks remained stranded on both sides with their drivers facing food shortage and financial distress. Many reported that their savings had run out and the heavy cargo was damaging their vehicle tires.

Traders said that the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables had doubled due to supply shortages. They said grapes had surged from Rs400 to Rs800 per kilogram, pomegranates from Rs300 to Rs600 and apples from Rs200 to Rs400.

Hundreds of daily wagers in Torkham have become jobless and families that were dependent on cross-border trade were struggling to make ends meet. Around 2,500 taxis in Torkham, Landikotal and Peshawar rely on cross-border passengers for earnings but these vehicles now stand idle due to the ongoing closure.Traders and transporters appealed to both governments to ease tensions and reopen the border to resume trade and travel, alleviating the hardships of workers, drivers and businessmen.