Daily-wage workers protest at Torkham over travel rules

Say resh rules will result in filling up the passport book within weeks

LANDI KOTAL: Hundreds of daily-wage workers continued their protest at the Torkham border with Afghanistan for a second day on Saturday against the last travel rules.

The labourers, who reside in villages located adjacent to the Torkham border, along with members of a local transport association, and the elders and notables of the Khwaga Khel tribe, participated in the protest.

The protestors held aloft placards, banners, black flags and chanted slogans against the National Logistics Cell (NLC) for the imposition of the new rules.

The NLC had earlier in the week imposed stringent rules for transportation and daily-wage workers at the border which required them to have the border authority stamp their passports every time they crossed into Afghanistan.

“The Afghan border authorities have exempted handcart carriers, daily crossers and residents of adjoining villages, but our own border officials have imposed new rules which require that even a handcart pusher carries their travel documents with them,” said Qari Nazim Gul, who owns and operates a cart-based operation at the Torkham border.

“I earn around Rs500 a day at the border to support my family, but the new rules have compelled me to get a passport, which costs around 3,300,” he said.

Gul added since he crosses the border around six to eight times a day, the pages in his passport get filled within a few weeks and he has to get a new one.

“[This move] is an injustice towards the needy residents of Khyber agency like me,” Gul said.

An association of local transporters at the border also supported the protest and demanded a relaxation in the visa rules, devising specific travel documents for those who travel frequently, enhance trade activities and save money to poor workers.

“We always obey the law and defend the country along with the security forces,” he said, adding that the Afghan side of the authority had exempted them from carrying a passport.

“Our own people tease use by introducing new laws and rules on a daily basis at the Pakistan-Afghan border,” said Shakir Shinwari, president of the local Transport Association.

The border is frequently subject to closure either due to poor law and order situation or due to other issues. The border crossing was closed last week owing to the parliamentary elections being held in Afghanistan.

Security forces manning the area were put on high alert and supply for the Afghan transit and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) forces were temporarily suspended. Trade and business activities were badly affected and scores of vehicles stood around the border with cars queuing at thoroughfares. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2018.