KHYBER
Closing of the Pak-Afghan sharing border, Torkham has multiplied miseries of the pedestrians and traders as the crossing was suspended on the fifth day (Thursday) for all kinds of movement.
It is to be stated here that on last Sunday night, on the refusal of Pak officials to let the patient’s attendants to cross in the border at the plea of lack of travelling documents, the Afghan border security officials closed the border in protest for all kinds of motion.
On Wednesday, deputy spokesperson of the Afghan government Bilal Karimi through social media confirmed that the following day, they will reopen the border and Afghan border security officials as per the direction resumed it however the Pak officials on Thursday declined to resume it until they receive formal written orders from their highup and the border was remained closed till filing the story.
Earlier, a high level Pakistan delegation visited Kabul and discussed issues of mutual interest and both the countries agreed that political and security concerns should not affect business and economic matters.
Beside traders, local shopkeepers, daily wagers and people from different walks of life, closing of the crossing suffered hundreds of Afghan citizens including women and children who were stuck at the border.
Eid Rehman, an Afghan national from Khost province of Afghanistan said that week back he visited Peshawar to be cured of his disease, however after getting treated, the border was shut and for the last five days he had been waiting to cross the border to his native country.
Both the neighboring and Muslim countries should resolve their matters through dialog, he suggested.
A local trader Shah Jehan said that closing of the border directly affected the traders and in the recent practice, million rupees loss had been inflicted on exporters as trucks of perishable export items spoilaged at the Pak-Afghan road.
Number of vegetable and fruit loaded trucks were sent back to Peshawar to save the exporters of heavy loss,he opined.
Since the border was closed five days back, long queues of vehicles, loaded with export and transit commodities could be witnessed at the Pak-Afghan highway and the truckers were compelled to spend nights under an open sky on the road, drivers said.
