Traders demand opening of Torkham border

AMJAD ALI SHAH

PESHAWAR: Traders community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here on Wednesday demanded of the government to keep the Torkham border open for transportation of trucks, loaded with perishable and other items so that will avoid huge financial losses to them and unhurt the mutual Pak-Afghan trade and businesses.

The demand was made by president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Engr Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz while speaking an oath taking ceremony of Anjuman-e-Tajaran Times Centre Saddar Road Cantt Peshawar here.

Maqood Pervaiz said that the closure of Torkham border for movement of passengers as preemptive step of the government to counter coronavirus pandemic is a welcoming step. However, he said the restrictions on movement of transit goods containers en route to Afghanistan via Torkham border would impact negatively on the country’s economy and bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan but it is also causing huge financial losses to traders’ community.

Therefore, the chamber president urged the government to allow transit goods trucks to cross the Torkham border through proper monitoring mechanism in order to avoid the traders’ community from enormous monetary losses and unhurt the mutual Pak-Afghan trade and business of transit trade between the two countries.