PESHAWAR: President of the Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Yousaf Afridi, has said that the closure of the Torkham border with Afghanistan has entered its 327th day, severely affecting millions of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and forcing thousands of workers associated with small industries to face unemployment and financial hardship.
Addressing a press conference at the Landi Kotal Press Club, he said the closure of all border crossings with Afghanistan had so far caused an estimated loss of around $2.5 billion, including $1.644 billion in exports and $817 million in imports.
He said a meeting had previously been held in Islamabad with the Interior Minister, which was attended by office-bearers of the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Interior Minister had assured the participants that the matter would be discussed in detail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, he said, the proposed meeting had yet to be convened.
Yousaf Afridi said the prolonged closure of the border had resulted in the closure of thousands of small and large transport businesses, hotels and markets, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of people.
According to traders, he said, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also suffered a loss of Rs7.27 billion in cess tax revenue due to the border closure. He criticised the provincial government for remaining silent on the issue, adding that transit trade had also suffered significant losses.
He said traders had raised their voice against the border closure at every available forum, but no effective response had been received so far.
“The Torkham border should not be politicised, and trade should be kept separate from politics,” he said.
The Khyber Chamber president also demanded an audit of the Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the past five years. He called for making the chamber’s main office operational in Khyber and urged an end to what he described as the alleged interference of certain non-local individuals in the chamber’s affairs.
