PESHAWAR: The suspension of all sorts of movement on Pak-Afghan Torkham border has caused millions of monetary losses to national exchequer as trade related activities have completely ceased to run for the seventh consecutive day on Friday.
Local tribesmen, associated with various businesses on Torkham border, were of the view that they have been confined to their homes for the last one week and the closure of Pak-Afghan border has multiplied their miseries.
Torkham Customs House official Naeem, sharing details pertaining to vehicles, said that approximately 500 loaded vehicles from export goods and 400 import goods carrier trucks were daily crossing the border and Rs15million rupees taxes were being collected from them. “The export of agriculture products to Afghanistan have stopped that will not only cause losses to the exporters but also have a negative impact on the agriculture sector of the country”, he maintained. Regarding the loaded vehicles, customs official informed Customs Today that around 600 containers of Afghan Transit Trade were stranded on bordering area and that it was an only source of income for foreign exchange. The uncertain situation on Pak-Afghan border certainly affects the economy of Pakistan, he stated.
Suspending supply of certain commodities like sugar and wheat that have been permitted through agreement by the Ministry of Commerce via Torkham will discourage export and if situation remains as it is then the importers in Afghanistan will do business with their neighbouring countries like Iran and Tajikistan.
President Clearance Agents Association Torkham Hayatullah Shinwari, sharing his views, said that for the last one week all clearance process had been halted in Torkham and more than 600 clearing agents besides hundreds of thousands of labourers, handcart pushers and daily wagers had been rendered jobless.
Torkham is the core of all economic activities for the local tribesmen and suspension of the border is tantamount to deprive the locals from earning three-time bread, he remarked.
Khalil Shah, a money changer in Torkham, said closing of the border had completely shut their business run by more than 20 moneychangers as no trucker or pedestrian was allowed to or from Pakistan to cross the border.
As per Torkham taxi stand contactor, a total of 3200 taxi vehicles, including 2000 cars and 1200 flying coaches, were running between Torkham and Peshawar and maximum locals were attached to the transport but suspension of the border compelled them to park their vehicles in parking lots or their residencies.
In the aftermath of attacks on Lahore and Sehwan in Sindh last week, the Pak-Afghan Torkham and Chaman borders in Quetta were closed down to avoid any mishap.
