PESHAWAR: Traders associated with Pak-Afghan bilateral trade and transit said that they have suffered billion of rupees monetary loss due to the prolonged closure of the border.
According to business community, as many as 11,000 Afghan transit trade containers have stuck at Karachi port, while thousands of containers of traders from the both countries, especially those laden with perishable items had also stranded at Ghulam, Spin Boldak, Kharlachi and Torkham border, inflicting massive financial loss to trading community owing damaged of the food and perishable items.
Traders noted the prevailing situation has drastically dropped Pak-Afghan bilateral trade volume, and closure of regional borders, Pakistan export share has been captured. They said they had been issued form-E for bilateral trade but their consignments did not proceed as almost near to completion of the two months of the closure of Pak-Afghan Torkham border.
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The bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is already negligible whereas the prolonged closure of the border has further deteriorated the situation, said Junaid Altaf, President of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The SCCI chief said approximately 45million dollars mutual trade had been affected since the closure of the border.
He said the suspension of Pak-Afghan mutual trade and transit trade is unfavourable for economy of the both countries, which need to be revisited and all issues must be resolved on the negotiation table to avoid further hurting the bilateral trade because the trade is not only source of earnings but also attached livelihoods of many families on both sides of the border, senior office bearers remarked.
The SCCI chief stressed trade must be kept separate from politics and immediately initiated dialogue to resume trade between the two neighbouring countries.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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