Thousands of cargo trucks were stuck and businesses faced losses as one of the key border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed for a third day after another firing incident.
Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities are reportedly in talks to resolve differences that led to the closure of the busiest border crossing.
In the latest development, a high-ranking delegation led by the Minister for Defence is in Kabul today to meet with officials of the Afghan Interim Government to discuss security-related matters including counter-terrorism measures.
Key trade route
The Torkham border is the main point of transit for travelers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. According to Zia Ul Haq Sarhadi, director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, around 6,000 trucks carrying goods have been stranded on either side since Sunday.
“The closure of the border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been causing losses to traders of the two countries. There are long queues of heavy trucks stranded on both sides of the border,” said Sarhadi.
“The traders and particularly those supplying fresh food items such as fruits and vegetables are facing losses as trucks are stranded on the way for the past three days,” he added.
Certain trucks, he added, were redirected to an alternate, less significant border crossing for which traders expressed apprehension regarding the safety of truck drivers who have to travel to that area.
Background
Taliban authorities had closed the border earlier in the week, on Sunday, and exchanged fire with Pakistani border guards after Pakistani authorities asked the attendants of an Afghan patient to come with legal travel documents for entry into the country.
“The Afghan border officials made it an issue, saying Pakistani authorities should allow the patients and their attendants without visas or legal travel documents to enter Pakistan for treatment in Peshawar or elsewhere,” told a senior government official at the Torkham border.
On the other hand, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid noticeably defended the decision of suspending traffic through the border, alleging Afghan citizens were being “very humiliatingly” treated by Pakistani border officials.
“Their [travel] documents and identity as well as refugee cards were being torn and thrown away. Patients requiring medical care [in Pakistan] and elderly men as well as women were also being harshly treated,” Mujahid said in a statement his office released to journalists late on Monday.
Officials on both sides expressed hope that the issue would be resolved soon as they were in discussions to resolve the matter peacefully.