Govt’s decision to seal Torkham border irks KP traders

PESHAWAR: Closure of the Torkham border by the federal government could cause millions of rupees worth damages to the traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan has closed its border with Afghanistan for two weeks in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus. Owing to this decision, traders believe Pakistan’s $2.5 billion worth trade volume with Afghanistan was now in jeopardy.

Talking to this scribe on Saturday, Sardar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Shahid Hussain termed the government’s decision to close the border with Afghanistan as a “non-serious” step.

He demanded that the border should be closed for public and not for freight vehicles, as drivers and conductors could easily get screened for the virus.

“Border closures will not only affect Khyber Pakhtunkhwa businessmen but traders in Afghanistan will also suffer huge losses,” he said. “The chamber will decide on Monday its future course of action regarding the government’s decision.”

As KP traders export dozens of products, including cement, medicines, vegetables etc. to Afghanistan on a daily basis, traders believe the border closure for two weeks would affect millions of people in the province.

Former customs official Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said that the government was committing economic massacres by closing the Afghan border for two weeks.

“KP factories and traders are largely dependent on Afghan and Central Asian trade. The government will have to review the decision as there are other ways available to prevent virus spread.”

Meanwhile, traders in Phandu-Sabzi Mandi in Peshawar protested the closure of Pak-Afghan border, saying that the government had earlier decided to close the border on March 16, but it closed the border March 14, causing millions of rupees damage to traders.

Traders have demanded the government and other law enforcement agencies to keep the border open till March 16 so that they could transport the already loaded trucks of vegetables and fruits.