By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: A joint jirga comprising representatives of various political parties, customs clearing agents, laborers, transporters, and residents was held in Landikotal on Sunday to protest the eight-month-long closure of the Torkham border.
A large number of political and social figures attended the gathering. Leaders from Bara tehsil, including Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber district chief Faisal Afridi, Zia-ul-Haq Afridi, and other party representatives, also participated in the jirga.
Addressing the participants, speakers, including Mufti Ejaz Shinwari, Murad Hussain Afridi, Shah Khalid Shinwari, Shah Rahman Shinwari, and others, said that the Torkham border has remained closed for all trade activities and pedestrian movement for the past eight months, causing severe economic hardships for people living in the border regions.
The speakers stated that the prolonged closure has badly affected business activities, while hundreds of Pakistani trucks and vehicles remain stranded on the Afghan side of the border. They described the situation as unjust and demanded immediate measures to resolve the issue.
In a joint declaration issued after the jirga, participants warned that if Pakistani vehicles, passengers, and students stranded on the Afghan side are not allowed to enter Pakistan before Eid, they would launch protesting camps at various locations in the Khyber district. They also threatened that four days after Eid, the Pak-Afghan Highway would be completely blocked for all kinds of traffic, including the repatriation of Afghan refugees, if their demand was not accepted.
Speaking on the occasion, Mufti Ejaz Shinwari said that during the planned blockade, no government officials would be allowed to use the highway, and the process of Afghan refugee repatriation would also be suspended. He emphasized that the protest would continue until all demands of the jirga were met.
The tribal elders and Jirga participants staged a protest walk from Masjid Quba to Hospital Chowk, chanted slogans in favor of reopening the Torkham border and restoring trade and movement across the crossing.
