Reopening of Pak-Afghan border point in Mohmand demanded

GHALLANAI: The jirga of Mohmand Siyasi Ittehad on Saturday urged the government to reopen the Gorsal Pass at the Pak-Afghan border to boost the trade between the two neighbouring countries.

Except for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, almost all the major political parties’ leaders attended the jirga to press the government for acceptance of the demands.

Speaking at the jirga, Awami National Party leader and Member Provincial Assembly Nisar Mohmand, Malik Sultan Khan, Dr Farooq Afzal, Jangraiz Khan Mohmand and others said that they would go to any extent for reopening of the Gorsal point at Pak-Afghan border.

They said that they had held march of thousands of people from the district headquarters Ghallanai to Gorsal to pressure the government to reopen the border point without any delay but the rulers turned a blind eye towards the issue.

The speakers said that the reopening of the Gorsal border would help boost the local economy, providing the much-needed employment to the locals. The elders also criticised the government policies and said that the Gorsal trade route had long been awaited by the people of Mohmand district.

They said that people of various tribes living in the borderland were faced with a host of problems but the rulers were the least bothered to have these issues resolved.