Islamabad, Mar 2, 2025: All commercial and pedestrian movement were disrupted on Saturday as the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham remained blocked for the eighth day in a row, affecting nearly $10 million in trade.
After Afghanistan unilaterally built a new station in a disputed location without first consulting Pakistan, the border was shut down. Customs authorities stated that the trade disruption has been prolonged because no resolution has been achieved despite numerous negotiation sessions.
The All Torkham Clearing Agents Association head, Mujib Shinwari, claims that Pakistan is losing between $1.5 and $2.5 million every day on exports and Rs. 500 million on imports. Some trucks transporting perishable goods have been forced to return to Sabzi Mandi in Peshawar.
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As more than 1,000 vehicles loaded with construction materials and perishable goods are still stuck at Landi Kotal-Torkham Road and zero-point parking lots. “Closing the international border over a petty dispute proves the irresponsibility of the Pak-Afghan governments,” Shinwari said, criticizing both countries.
He underlined that the extended closure has had a negative effect on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s industries, which depend 90% on trade with Afghanistan, and has resulted in large losses of revenue for traders, laborers, and customs officers.
Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesman for the Foreign Office (FO), said that border control is a complicated matter that involves several agencies. He affirmed that Afghanistan made the unilateral decision to establish a border post, which ought to have been settled diplomatically between the two countries.
