Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: The transport community holds a protest demonstration on Wednesday against passport condition set by the Pakistani authorities while crossing the Torkham border and asked the authorities concerned to review the policy. Chanting full-throat slogans against implementation of passport policy for their community, scores of transporters marched from Bacha Khan, Landi Kotal bazaar and gathered in front of Landi Kotal press club. President Khyber Transport Association, Shakir Afridi who leading the rally said that relaxation had been granted to truckers at Chaman border and they had been exempted of passport formality but unluckily, the policy had been functional at Torkham border that was step mother behavior towards them. “Keeping and updating valid travelling documents is time consuming work and expensive as the transporters for short stay cross the border on either side therefore it does not suit to their brief routine travelling practice”, Afridi argued. The transporters also demanded of the goods transport companies to pay their dues as their vehicle had been parked at the border for the last more than four weeks. They threatened that if their grievance was address immediately, they would have no other option but to go on wheel jam strike across the country. When the administration official was contacted on the issue he said that under the border management scheme, passport had been made compulsory to produce at exit and entry of Torkham border for all persons including Pakistani nationals.