PESHAWAR: The closure of Torkham border for the last seven days has inflicted a loss of around $3 million on traders, says Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) director Ziaul Haq Sarhadi.

In a statement here on Thursday, he said that fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, eggs, juices and other perishable items rotted in scores of trucks queued at the border. He urged both Kabul and Islamabad to resolve their issues in the best interests of people on both sides of the border.

Mr Sarhadi said that 1,500 to 2,000 trucks loaded with different items could be seen on both sides of the road from Torkham to Landi Kotal, waiting for reopening of the border. “On Afghanistan side, the number of stranded trucks is 2,000 to 2,500 as it is the season of exporting fresh fruits to Pakistan,” he added.

He said that apart from transit trade goods, a large quantity of import and export items from both the countries wasted owing to closure of Torkham border. “Around 150 to 200 trucks of soapstone and 100 trucks of coal come on daily basis to Pakistan from Afghanistan. The number of trucks carrying fresh fruits and vegetables are more than that,” he said.

The PAJCCI director urged the quarters concerned to take measures for early resolution of the dispute because permanent closure of border was not a solution and was detrimental to the economies of both the countries and regional trade. He said that some elements were making allegations about misuse of transit trade facility and smuggling of exported goods back to Pakistan.

He said that four to five different departments were responsible for border security and it was their duty to increase surveillance and monitoring of incoming and outgoing goods instead of stopping trade and commercial activities.

Mr Sarhadi said that export from Pakistan to Central Asian countries was dependent on passage through Afghanistan. He said that apart from businessmen, the closure of border also affected a large number of ailing Afghans, who wanted to come to Pakistan for treatment.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2023