Protest against Torkham border closure held in Landikotal

LANDIKOTAL: Hundreds of custom clearance agents, shopkeepers, traders and political parties’ leaders and workers on Saturday staged a protest demonstration in Landikotal bazaar and asked Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their bilateral issues so that the border could be reopened soon.

Torkham clearing agents union had organized the protest which was also joined by a large numbers of shopkeepers, traders and leaders of the different political parties.

They marched from Bacha Khan Chowk in Landikotal bazaar and gathered outside press club. They were holding placards and banners with the slogans sought  cordial trade relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan,

Speakers, including Torkham custom clearing agents’ union president Hayatullah Shinwari,chairman Murajuddin Shinwari,PPP Khyber Agency president Hazrat Wali Afridi,JI Landikotal ameer Murad Hussain Afridi and Mujeeb Khan Shinwari condemned the closure of the border with Afghanistan. They said not only the government but billion of rupees edibles in the loaded trucks have been perished during the last one month.

Hayatullah said it was a conspiracy against Pakistan to hit its economy with different ways and means. He said thirty thousand daily wagers have lost their daily waging due to the unfortunate closure of the border.

Speakers came hard over the two brothers parliamentarians MNA Shahji Gul Afridi and Senator Taj Muhammad Afridi and said that they were totally lipped-up to take up the border closure issue at the parliament floor. They said that it was a matter like FCR reforms for tribal people but an intentional silence of the two brothers was a question mark for the people of Khyber Agency. They said doing trade and small businesses at via Torkham border was their lone source of income. They said that tribals were the unpaid soldiers of Pakistan but unfortunately none of the government gave them their due rights to end their grievances.

They appealed from Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their differences with table talks and restore trade and business ties without wasting further time and money.