Afghan trade suspension leaves Pakistani truck drivers stranded

Pakistani truck drivers carrying cargo for Afghanistan are facing an uncertain situation amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, with hundreds of vehicles halted at border crossings where drivers have remained stranded for weeks.

Exporters and logistics operators said the closure of major crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan has paralysed regional cargo movement, adding that many stranded drivers have exhausted their cash and basic supplies, raising concerns over their safety and survival.

Junaid Makda, president of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, told The Express Tribune that kinnow exporters, transporters and logistics firms had been hit hard because consignments for Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asian markets were stuck at the border.

Border crossings between the two countries have remained closed since October 11 following clashes — the worst fighting since the Taliban's 2021 takeover of Kabul — triggered after Kabul failed to respond to Islamabad's demand to deny terrorists the use of Afghan soil.

Makda said the suspension of trade had created a crisis on the Pakistani side, where hundreds of drivers were confined to border points without access to essentials. He warned that the disruption had struck at a time when kinnow exports typically reached their seasonal peak.

The joint chamber president said the situation worsened after the State Bank of Pakistan rejected a request to exempt kinnow exports to Iran and Central Asian states, via Iran, from financial instrument requirements.

Pakistan exported $110 million worth of kinnow last year, with this year's estimate projected at $100 million. Makda said exporters had been unable to dispatch shipments to traditional regional markets, placing farmers, supply-chain workers and exporters under severe strain.

He said thousands of containers carrying bilateral, transit and Central Asian cargo were stuck across Pakistan, including shipments bound for Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Transporters and clearing agents, he added, were incurring daily demurrage charges of $150 to $200 per container.

Makda urged authorities to announce an immediate waiver of all demurrage and detention charges, saying traders and operators were already facing severe financial pressure. He said the prolonged closure had inflicted substantial losses on all stakeholders.