Stranded truck crews staged protest at Torkham border

Pak-Afghan border closure

By Ashraf Uddin Pirzada

TORKHAM BORDER: A score of drivers and other crew members of the stranded trucks at Torkham border staged a protest demonstration on Thursday to record their protest against the closure of the Torkham border for business and trade activities for the last 21 days.

The transporters were holding black flags and had fastened black strips on their shoulders. They marched in the parking lot situated at Torkham border and chanted slogans for permanent reopening of the border with Afghanistan. They demanded of the Pakistani government to reopen the border for trade activities so that they could reimburse the losses they suffered in past 21 days due to the closure of the Torkham border.

Khan Ali, a driver of a truck loaded with fresh vegetables, said that their loaded trucks had been stranded for the past 21 days at the border. He said around 400 loaded trucks carrying different goods including fresh fruits and other perishable foods to Afghanistan were waiting to cross the border.  He said Afghanistan and Pakistan should also give permission to the stranded trucks and their drivers as they were receiving financial losses. He said they were short of foods to eat.

“On the one hand we are receiving financial losses but on the other hand loaded vehicles are also badly affecting  due to heavy loads on it is also damaging the trucks, ’’ Khan Ali complained.

He said they were facing multiple issues there as they spent all their money waiting for reopening of Torkham gate.

They appealed from Islamabad and Kabul resolve the core issue due to which the border was closed.

Meanwhile, Pakistani border authorities allowed that stranded 170 heavy trucks loaded with coal to travel toward their destinations, sources said. The coal loaded trucks had entered Pakistan on February 17, and were waiting on the Pakistani side of the Torkham border to move to their destinations in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that a total of 24140 Afghan  and around 1000 Pakistani nationals have crossed the border when Pakistan reopened the border for two days on March 7 and 8.