In Peshawar, Pakistan, the ongoing closure of a significant crossing at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has caused severe disruptions in trade and the movement of individuals, according to official reports on Thursday.
The Torkham border crossing has been shut since February 21 due to a conflict over Afghanistan’s construction of a border post, resulting in bilateral tensions.
More than 5,000 trucks and vehicles loaded with goods like fruits and vegetables have remained stationary on both sides of the crossing awaiting resumption, noted Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director at the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Torkham is an essential route for transporting goods between Pakistan and Central Asian countries, and Sarhadi emphasized the need for both nations to resolve the impasse to restart trade and the flow of people.
Najeeb Ullah, a truck driver at Torkham, expressed his plight, saying he is sleeping in his truck since he can’t abandon it unattended.
He pleaded with officials from both nations to alleviate their suffering by reopening the border.
“We request Pakistan and Afghanistan to have mercy on us, as we are suffering without any reason,” Najeeb expressed.
Many individuals are stuck at the border, such as Mustafa Khan, another truck driver, who had delivered a shipment of cement from Peshawar to Jalalabad in Afghanistan.
He conveyed his frustration about being left in uncertainty since last Friday concerning the duration of this ordeal.
Meanwhile, Afghan citizen Farhad Nusrat spoke about being stranded with his family in harsh conditions, urging Pakistani authorities for a quick resolution.
Authorities also reported that a considerable number of Pakistanis were stuck on the Afghan side of the border.
While there was no immediate response from Pakistan’s officials, Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, an Afghan border commissioner, validated Pakistan’s closure of the crossing.
He remarked, “Whenever Pakistani authorities conduct construction on their side, we say nothing. But whenever we do something, they close the border.”
Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Trade and E-commerce, confirmed Pakistan’s independent closure of the crossing.
The shutdown has notably impacted Afghanistan’s trade, particularly affecting Afghans including women, children, and patients caught on either side.
The frequent closures at Torkham often stem from disagreements over establishing new posts along the contested Durand Line, an unofficial boundary that Afghanistan does not recognize.
Pakistan has nearly completed a border fence to boost control and security across this line.
Torkham is located in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an area where Pakistani Taliban militants regularly engage in attacks on security forces.
The Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), although distinct, are aligned with the Afghan Taliban who claimed power in 2021.
Since then, the TTP has intensified its assaults on Pakistani security forces, further complicating the relations between Islamabad and Kabul.