Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: The suspension of all sorts of movement on Pak-Afghan Torkham border has caused millions of monetary loss to national exchequer as trade related activities have completely suspended for 7th consecutive day.

Local tribesmen who were associated with various businesses on Torkham border were of the view that they were confined to their homes for the last one week and the closure of Pak-Afghan border has multiplied their miseries. Torkham border presents a deserted look as the security agencies officials do not permit anybody to enter or cross the Shaheed checkpoint in Torkham, they added.

Torkham custom house official, Naeem sharing details pertaining to vehicles said that approximately 500 loaded vehicles from export goods and 400 import goods carrier trucks were daily crossing the border and Rs 15 million taxes are being collected from them. However, he further said the economic activities have completely suspended for the last
one week.

“The export of agrarians products to Afghanistan have stopped that will not only suffer the exporters but also have a negative impact on the agriculture sector of the country”, he maintained.

Regarding the loaded vehicles, custom official informed around 600 containers of Afghan transit trade were stranded on bordering area and that it was an only source of income for foreign exchange.

The uncertain situation on Pak-Afghan border certainly affects the economy of Pakistan, he stated.

Suspending supply of certain commodities like sugar and wheat that has permitted through agreement by the Ministry of Commerce via Torkham will discourage export and if the situation remains as it is the importers in Afghanistan will turn over their neighboring countries like Iran, Tajikistan etc.

President clearance agent association, Torkham Hayatullah Shinwari while sharing his views said that for the last one week all clearance process had been halted in Torkham and more than 600 clearance agents beside hundreds of thousands of laborers, handcart pushers and daily wagers whose works were attached to the clearing doings had been left jobless. Torkham is the core of all economic activities for the local tribesmen and suspension of the border is tantamount to deprive the locals from earning three times bread, he remarked. Shinwari suggested that politics should be separated from the trade and demanded of the authorities to forthwith reopen the border so that the business works resume in Torkham.

Khalil Shah, a money changer in Torkham said that closing of the border had completely shut their business run by more than 20 moneychangers as no trucker or pedestrian was allowed to or from Pakistan to cross the border.

All shops were closed in Torkham and hundreds of locals were forced to strive as they had no other business to earn livelihood for their families, he added.

As per the Torkham taxi stand contactor, a total of 3200 taxi vehicles including 2000 cars and 1200 flying coaches were running between Torkham and Peshawar and maximum locals were involved with transport but with suspension of the border compelled them to park it in parking lots or in their residencies.

In the aftermath of attacks on Lahore and Sehwan in Sindh last week, the Pak-Afghan Torkham border and Chaman border in Quetta were closed down to avoid any mishap.