The Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce reported that the Torkham crossing has been closed for over ten days. This closure has caused millions of dollars in losses for traders.
Officials from the chamber have called on Pakistani authorities to address the situation at the Torkham crossing.
Naqibullah Safi, Executive Director of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said, “There has been a protest on the Torkham-Peshawar highway for the last ten days. Local people have gathered, leading to the closure of trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan. A significant volume of trade depends on the Torkham crossing.”
Trader Zalmai Azimi said, “Currently, thousands of our empty containers remain stuck on the Afghan side. This situation costs us $200,000 per day in detention fees. Over the past 15 days, around 700 to 800 of our trucks have remained stranded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This has caused substantial losses to Afghanistan’s private sector. We urgently request the Islamic Emirate to resolve this issue with Pakistan.”
While Afghanistan’s largest annual exports are to Pakistan, frequent disruptions often reduce the volume of trade.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that authorities closed the Torkham crossing on August 21. This closure has cost Pakistan approximately 540 million rupees in losses.
Trader Omid Haidari noted: “The closure of the Torkham highway has severely impacted our exports, reducing them by nearly 50%. Most of our export and transit goods to India pass through the Torkham crossing, which has also negatively affected our trade with India.”
Torkham Talks Stalled
The Chargé d’Affaires of the Afghan Interim Government in Pakistan stated that Pakistani authorities gave them assurances. They promised to resolve the issue.
Sardar Ahmad Shakib, the Chargé d’Affaires, added: “Pakistani government officials promised us they were negotiating with those who blocked the road. However, they have not achieved any results so far, and the talks seem stalled because they cannot continue.”
According to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan in the first half of the current year amounted to $329 million. This marks a 31% decrease compared to the same period last year.
This news is sourced from [Tolo News] and is for informational purposes only.
