Businessmen demand reopening of Afghan borders

PESHAWAR: Business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has demanded the federal government to keep the Pak-Afghan borders at Torkham and Chaman open six days a week.

The demand was made at a meeting, chaired by Chief Minister’s Advisor for Industries Abdul Kareem Khan, at the offices of KP Board of Investment and Trade. The participants said the borders should be reopened to increase imports and exports and also to remove the deficiency of commodities in Afghanistan.

Afghan Counsel General in Peshawar Najibullah Ahmedzai, Afghan trade attache Muhammad Fawad Arsh, Board of Investment and Trade chief executive Hassan Daud Butt, FPCCI’s Ziaul Haq Sarhadi and other trade leaders of Pakistan Afghanistan attended the meeting. The meeting participants said that thousands of transporters and containers had been stuck in Afghanistan due to the border closure.

On the occasion, Abdul Kareem Khan asked the chief executive KP BoIT to hold meetings with interior and other ministries for the border opening, solution to the business community’s problems on both sides of the border and also helping the neighbouring country with tackling the shortage of various commodities.