The deadlock over the Torkham border crossing has finally ended after six days of border closure as Pakistani authorities reopened it on Saturday.
The closure by Afghan government six days ago, left at least 7,500 trucks laden with fruits, vegetables and other food items stranded on both sides of the border, causing widespread resentment among the local communities as well as traders of both countries.
A customs official told The Express Tribune that after formal orders from Islamabad, they finally reopened the border after a six-day closure which inflicted billions of rupees losses on exporters and importers.
He said more than five thousand loaded trucks had been left stranded in the past one week on the Pakistani side of the border due to suspension of trade.
The official maintained that despite the overcrowding of vehicles at Torkham border crossing they were trying to handle the situation.
“The six-day closure has inflicted Rs5 billion losses on both the countries,” he noted, saying that it is the average trade volume for one week between the two neighbouring countries on via Torkham alone.
He said a minimum of Rs400 million goods are being exported to Afghanistan daily.
On the other hand, the road from Ali Masjid to Landikotal remained jam-packed due to the heavy traffic as trucks rushed to the border point to enter Afghanistan.
Drivers and transporters welcomed the decision and said that both the countries should settle their differences through negotiations instead of closing the border.
After the opening, more than 100 trucks entered Pakistan in the initial hours. Extra staff was deployed to manage the vehicles and officials said that the customs services would be available 24 hours.
They, however, said that due to the non-availability of internet the clearing of vehicle was very slow.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2023.
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