QUETTA: A Pashtun tribal jirga on Tuesday called on the government to reopen the Pak-Afghan border crossing at Chaman, warning that the continued closure was causing severe hardship for travellers and crippling trade in the region.
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Addressing a press conference, tribal elders Amanullah Khan and Malik Abdul Khaliq Lala Ghabizai said the border had remained closed for nearly two months following clashes in October, bringing commercial activity to a complete halt. They said traders, labourers and transporters on both sides of the border were facing serious financial losses.
Malik Ghabizai said thousands of Pakistanis who travelled to Afghanistan on valid passports and visas were stranded and not being allowed to return. He added that the prolonged closure had created humanitarian concerns, as many travellers had exhausted their resources while waiting for permission to cross back into Pakistan.
The jirga leaders said the situation had worsened as many stranded travellers’ visas and other legal documents had expired during the delay, exposing them to legal and administrative difficulties. They urged authorities to allow stranded citizens to return home without further delay.
They also highlighted the plight of transport workers, saying thousands of trucks carrying household goods of returning migrants were stuck at the border. Drivers and cleaners, they said, were facing acute shortages of food and income, leaving their families back home in desperate conditions.
The elders further alleged that travellers were subjected to harassment, humiliation and extortion at as many as 22 checkpoints between Chaman and Quetta. They demanded the removal of these checkpoints and called for free movement of Chaman residents within their own region.
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Announcing future action, the jirga leaders said a three-day Pashtun National Jirga would soon be convened to draw attention to the difficulties faced by residents of Chaman and other border districts, and to press for an urgent resolution of their grievances.