Trucks carrying NATO and US military vehicles waiting at Kojak Pass on Quetta-Chaman highway. PHOTO: INP/FILE
The containers carrying military hardware, goods and tanks that were parked on the Afghan side of the border got clearance on Wednesday to enter Pakistan.
Stringent security measures have been adopted in the bordering town. The containers moved towards Karachi in a huge convoy. Nato has started its exit from Afghanistan a few months ago.
Custom officials are giving clearance to Nato containers after checking all required documents at the Chaman border.
The Nato supply to Afghanistan from Karachi via Balochistan is also continuing without interruption. However, comparatively fewer containers were seen at the Chaman border headed into Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesperson Mark Wright said on Tuesday that the US had “voluntarily halted” shipments of cargo leaving Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing in K-P. Torkham was meant to be a key transit point used by the Americans and Nato to withdraw military hardware from Afghanistan, as part of a troop pullout set to wrap up by the end of 2014.
The decision came after PTI-led activists setting up unofficial checkpoints to block Nato supply routes in K-P since November 24, after a call by PTI chairman Imran Khan.
Imran demanded the government block Nato supplies after a US drone strike that killed the late Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud, but Islamabad has shown no appetite for such a move.
Imran Khan on Tuesday said his party was considering blocking Nato supply routes in other provinces as well.
Aside from Torkham and Chaman, the United States has alternative routes available to Afghanistan’s north through Central Asia, though those options take longer and are more expensive. About half of US cargo is being taken out through Pakistan, with the remainder being removed by aircraft or a combination of planes and then ships at regional ports.
COMMENTS (28)
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Reading the comments on this issue makes me wonder why people are afraid of offending the US. The US is like any one of us here: A set of neurons linked by so called democratic media. Just learn to exploit the situation a little better. It may come as a surprise to liberals that the US not only prevents our access to cheap gas and oil. It also prevents our rice exports to Iran among other things. So blocking the exit is quite justified. At least extract the concessions you need to survive.
@Stellar: Be careful what you wish on Afghans. They'll come for you next.
@Hassan:
But he stands in favour of Taliban who have also destroyed our country. Do you see why critics like myself insist that IK really has no clue of what he actually wants? Surely safety of Pakistan is not a concern here is it?
@Nazir: why stop exit of NATO equipment from afghanistan....after 2015 if milatary equipment stays in afghanistan it will be used against Pak army
@Hassan: brother the military equipment is going out of afghanistan why do you stop it! Do you want it to stay so when US leave its in hand of afghan National army and they use it against Paksitan in 2015!
I totally fail to understand planning of India. If India wants to destroy or split Pakistan to pieces, they should have funded Imran Khan and Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan instead of funding Hakimullah and Thereek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
@Stellar: I am sure this was the intention of the Talibans. Pakistan leadership assured them the security on Khyber-Karachi motorway which they could no longer guarantee, and therefore this move before Imran Khan is able to organise the blockade in Baluchistan as well..
Rex Minor
US declared its stopping shipments through Pakistan. Every media has that story. I guess the crore commanders are doing good biz in $'s.
@Hassan: Taliban and other extremists have destroyed our country. If Imran is so brave, he should fight these dark forces. Easiest thing in Pakistan is to praise fanatics and speak against America. He has never condemned those who have killed our 50 thousand citizens. He is a coward and leader of cowards.
Why isn't the Talibans taking it over as the war booty, as freebies from US. It is standard operating procedure in a war between the winner and the loser. Taliban still controls major parts of Afghanistan and a Taliban takeover of Kabul is imminent, a clear and present danger to Karzai government.
For further shipment or for the Karachi scrap yard? They are not worth the cost of the road damage and further shipment!! They should be left for the Afghan army or Pakistan army against the symbolic payment of ONE DOLLAR!. What a waste of resource for scrap metal.
Rex Minor
@Truth Detector: Just the opposite. I was with PTI for discreetly trying to delay US withdrawal so that more drone strikes could take place from Afghan bases. PML-N made me loose my appetite.
@Khan: Yeah because you have personally identified every drone victim as a terrorist right?
Pakistan supposed strategic location and incompetent leadership has been a bane to its existence. When will Pakistan actually start to produce something instead of trying to squeeze the US when the US holds all the Aces and Pakistan has only one decent hand. The US has infinitely more resources than Pakistan and even a completely uneducated person knows that.
People love to chest thump that Pakistan was able to stop NATO supplies. If you think that this will stop drones then you are living in a dream world. All it will do is irritate the US further. If US decides it can bring Pakistans economy to a complete standstill. Pakistans blockade makes US's exit more complicated but doesn't Pakistan want US out of the region. Eitherway this blockade is just plain stupid.
A mouse can try as much as it wants to act like a tiger but it will always remain a mouse and in this US Pakistan dynamic Pakistan is unfortunately always going to remain a mouse until Pakistan actually brings something productive to the table. For NATO and the rest of the world Pakistan unfortunately has only nuisance value and nothing positive to add.
@Shabbir:
Short memory? How many months did Pakistan close of the NATO supply line for something as simple as an apology - and how did that work out? The rest of the World looks at Pakistan and shakes it head - USA kills a notorious terrorist responsible for slaughtering thousands of Pakistan civilians and you respond by cutting off supply line. Like it or not that puts you squarely in the terrorist camp - one of the reasons that Pakistan's international reputation is lower than N Korea's.
Hail Caesar; Imran Khan is being pushed into take over the political leadership of the country!. The National assembly and the Senate must now decide with No Confidence motion if the current Prime Minister can hold on to the office which he won on the mandate of peace for Pakistan citizens.
Rex Minor
@Mohd tarekh: Oh really..now some one from middle east is telling us we are liars lol...from your name i am assuming that you are north african...please be concerned about ur part of the world. we are far ahead from you guys in every thing...atleast in our country ppl go out and protest they are not killed by armed forces for protesting...and its not saudi or uae where ppl have no political rights...We dont have to show false power to any one we are going through a bad phase but Inshallah it will be over soon. But i am sure that ppl of North africa and middle east will always be opressed cuz this is what they deserve
Please don't use Drones and Innocent Victims in the same sentence; this makes your statement contradictory.
Sigh of relief from US apologists/Indian trolls. I hope your appetite will return to normal now !
Seriously..u pakistanis are biggest liars..u said there will be no drone attacks..u said no nato supply...now what next...u say .......please tell how much lies AND false power u will show to world when in fact u are a failed state..............
PMLN defying all their promises and their manifesto which included going to extreme measures to stop drone strikes.
Only IK is brave enough to stand up to these goons who have destroyed our country.
PMLN should close this route ASAP to put more pressure on US. They are already on immense pressure after PTI dharna. US have been trying to contact IK for last 3 days and even went to his house yesterday but he refused to call/meet any of them. All he says is: STOP NATO SUPPLY. Most brave politician Imran Khan. We are with you.
Shame on dirty politics of PML-N. This cannot happen without understanding between federal Govt of Pakistan and US. In public they condemn the drone strikes but inside dealing is to kill the Pakistanis as soon as we get the dollars.
ET do also mention that Chaman is part of balochistan because some people will think its part of kpk.
"Imran demanded the government block Nato supplies after a US drone strike that killed the late Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud, but Islamabad has shown no appetite for such a move."
Is ET the new Lobby tool of the town?
its a defeat of taliban khan.
Thanks ET for making them soft target for miscreants.