Ashrafuddin Pirzada
TORKHAM: The deadlock is finally over and Pakistan and Afghanistan jointly reopened the Torkham border that remained closed for six days, officials said on Saturday.
Customs official Tamash Khan told Fata Voice that after the proper orders from Islamabad, they reopened the border after six days of its closure. He claimed that over 5,000 loaded trucks had been stranded during the one-week suspension of movement through the Torkham border.
He said despite the load of vehicles at the Torkham border crossing, they were managing to facilitate passengers who were waiting to continue their journey via the Torkham border.
Customs officials said around 5000 million in trade could not take place with Afghanistan in the past week due to the closure of the border.
According to him, at least 400 million rupees in goods are exported daily to Afghanistan via the Torkham border.
Traffic was jammed on the road from Ali Masjid to Landikotal due to the heavy trucks that had started their journey after a few days’ blockades. Drivers and travelers rejoiced when they learned of the border’s reopening. They thanked Pakistan for the decision to open the border for transporters.
Torkham customs officials said that they had made four lines of loaded trucks to enter Afghanistan but due to issues with the internet, they could not file GDs. They said more than a hundred trucks with import goods entered Pakistan via the Torkham border in the initial hours. He said the rush at the Torkham border also delayed vehicle movement in Torkham. Officials said they had deployed extra staff members to manage the vehicles’ movements so that they could process the clearance documents. The offices would remain open for 24 hours so that all stranded trucks could move toward their destinations. Dead trucks could move toward their destinations.
