Daily Times

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Fazal Moqeem Khan has urged the government and relevant authorities to take urgent steps to open the Pak-Afghan highway for trade and transportation to save traders on both sides of the border from further monetary losses. In a statement issued here on Sunday, Fazal Moqeem said bilateral trade, transit trade and export have nearly come to an end owing to the closure of Pak-Afghan highway trade routes for the last several months.

He added that Pak-Afghan mutual trade volume and transit trade had dropped to an alarming situation owing to the closure of the trade route.

Moqeem feared if the government couldn’t take timely action, the bilateral trade would completely end, which would not only be detrimental to the national economy but also trigger unemployment.

Zahidullah Shinwari, former president while expressing views about the closure of Pak-Afghan highway stated that Pak-Afghan bilateral trade volume is already very low. He said mutual trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and transit trade has been badly affected in the wake of the closure of the trade route for the last several months.

He said halting bilateral trade and transit trade has also inflicted huge financial losses to traders on both sides. On the other hand, Shinwari said local people and passengers were also being faced with hardship.

Zahidullah Shinwari emphasized the need for a sorting solution to the issue with mutual consensus and negotiation to resume the bilateral trade and transit trade and save the traders from further monetary loss.

It is reported that the president of the Afghanistan/Kabul Chamber of Commerce and Industry also expressed concern over the closure of the Pak-Afghan highway, according to him, Pak-Afghan bilateral trade had dropped by 80 percent.