By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Residents, traders, political activists and leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) on Monday held a peace march in Landikotal Bazaar on Tuesday, calling for lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan and immediate reopening of border crossings.
A large number of residents, businessmen, sportsmen and representatives of political parties participated in the march held in Landikotal bazaar. The protesters carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans calling for peace with Afghanistan and opposing war between the two neighbouring countries.
Speaking on the occasion, PTM Khyber coordinator Aftab Pashteen, Fakhruddin Shinwari and other speakers said the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan had badly affected people living along the border.
They said all Pak-Afghan border points had remained closed for the past five months, causing billions of rupees in trade losses to both countries.
The speakers said several civilians and soldiers from both sides had lost their lives in recent clashes, while the prolonged closure of the border had created serious economic hardships for residents of the area.
They said thousands of daily wage workers had lost their jobs due to the suspension of cross-border trade, while hundreds of shops, hotels, restaurants and offices of customs clearing agents in Landikotal had remained closed. They said thousands of Afghan citizens, including women, children and elderly men, being repatriated are stranded on the Pakistani side waiting for the reopening of the border.
The participants urged the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their issues through dialogue and ensure lasting peace in the region.
It may be mentioned here that tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated after October 11, when Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border posts along the Durand line following border clashes and disputes over the management of crossing points along the Pak-Afghan frontier.
The incidents of cross-border firing and security tensions led to repeated closure of the Torkham crossing, a key trade route between the two countries, severely affecting trade and livelihoods in border areas, including Landikotal.
