24-hour deadline: Waziristan traders demand reopening border

Say closure for the past four days has inflicted heavy losses on them.

MIRANSHAH: Traders in Miranshah held a protest outside the press club on Wednesday and demanded the government to reopen the Pak-Afghan border within 24 hours.

They complained the border had been closed for the last four days causing traders to incur huge losses as hundreds of vehicles are stranded on both sides.



Addressing protesters, Traders Association President Haji Abdullah said, “Scores of trucks loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables are rotting away, which is inflicting great losses.”  He said despite paying the permit fee and relevant taxes, the border still remains closed.

“If the border is not opened within 24 hours we will declare a shutter down strike and block the international route,” he warned.

A trader, Malik Gulab Khan said despite paying thousands of rupees in taxes and permits, authorities on both sides mistreat them. “We will resort to civil disobedience if trading activities are not resumed in 24 hours,” he stated.



The traders claimed they had conducted several rounds of meetings with the authorities but the meetings remained unsuccessful. They threatened to set up a hunger strike camp in front of the Governor House in Peshawar if their demands were not met.

The Pak-Afghan border was closed four days ago because of security reasons.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2013.