For the fifth consecutive day, the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan remains closed to freight vehicles. The Pakistani government has announced that the passage through all transit routes with Afghanistan is contingent upon possessing travel documents. According to Pakistan’s recent decision, all drivers of Afghan freight vehicles must now have a passport and visa. However, Afghan traders argue that obtaining a visa and passport for drivers is challenging and time-consuming. They assert that acquiring a passport, and Pakistani visa within a short period is not feasible. In the absence of entry permission to Pakistan, perishable goods, including “fast-corruptible” items like fresh fruits, will soon spoil and be lost. Meanwhile, the Minister of Information for Balochistan province in Pakistan has stated that having a visa for entry into Pakistan is a matter of security, and this policy will be implemented at any cost. Nevertheless, economic experts suggest that Pakistan is leveraging trade issues as a tool of pressure to secure its political interests and intends to put an end to the free movement of tribes in the region.
Five days ago, Pakistan closed the Torkham border gate to all Afghan freight vehicles, demanding that their drivers possess official travel documents, including passports and visas, to enter Pakistan.
Following Pakistan’s mandatory visa requirement for Afghan freight vehicle drivers, the Taliban have taken reciprocal action, leading to the closure of the Torkham border for commercial goods for the past five days.
However, Pakistani media reports suggest that talks between Taliban officials and Pakistani authorities regarding the border reopening have concluded without any agreement. According to Pakistani media, the two sides have not reached a consensus, and Islamabad has stated that entry will not be granted to drivers without visas and passports.
Geo News, a Pakistani media outlet, has reported that during a meeting with Pakistani officials, the Taliban deemed the suspension of commercial activities contrary to goodwill and international commitments, emphasizing that this action was taken without prior notice. The outlet, citing Pakistani customs officials at the Torkham border crossing, mentioned that fruit sellers are advised to return their goods to Peshawar since the visa issue for drivers is not expected to be resolved immediately.
Pakistan had previously agreed that freight vehicle drivers, specifically those associated with traders, could transit across this border without a visa, only requiring identification.
However, following the closure of the Torkham border to freight vehicles, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) states that Afghan traders have been affected by millions of Afghanis. According to officials from this institution, Pakistan has closed all its borders to freight vehicles and transit.
Khanjan Alkozai, the deputy of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PAJCCI), mentioned that this action has caused financial losses to traders. He added, “This closure not only results in financial losses to traders but also leads to an increase in market prices, especially for perishable food items.”
Simultaneously, the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PAJCCI) reported that due to the closure of this passage, between 800 to 900 freight vehicles and containers are stranded on both sides. The deputy of this institution informed AFP that approximately three thousand freight vehicles are currently halted on both sides of the border.
Pakistan has made having a visa mandatory for freight vehicle drivers, a requirement that some Afghan traders argue is impractical for obtaining passports and visas urgently. According to them, applying for a Pakistan visa takes months, and obtaining passports for Afghan citizens has become an elusive dream due to the overwhelming demand in Afghanistan.
Baryalai (pseudonym), one of the traders, describes the Taliban as unsuccessful in defending the rights of traders. According to him, due to excessive dependence on Pakistan, this group cannot speak out loudly against its supporters, which has provided them “bread and water” for more than twenty years.
Expressing concern about the continued halt of freight vehicles, Mr. Baryalai says, “Most of the vehicles carry fresh fruits and vegetables. Many of the items are perishable, and if we wait for Taliban passports and Pakistani visas, everything will be ruined and lost.”
In recent years, Pakistan has repeatedly closed the Torkham gate to Afghan transit goods, using this action for political leverage. Some time ago, the country closed freight vehicles to Afghan traders for over 10 days, halted thousands of containers of commercial goods in Karachi port, and imposed exorbitant customs tariffs on them.
Nevertheless, economic experts view Pakistan’s actions as political, emphasizing that the country is using trade and transit as tools to achieve its political demands. Azarakhsh Hafizi, an economic expert, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the primary reason for the challenges Pakistan creates in transit and trade with Afghanistan is political. He adds, “Behind this issue, there is a significant matter. Due to the weakness of the previous government, Pakistanis, especially the tribes living on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where mainly the tribes reside, erected barbed wire fences. While previous agreements considered these tribal areas as free, granting them the right to cross both sides.”
Mr. Hafizi states, “Pakistan attempted to solidify the Durand Line as the official border. On that basis, it brought the previously non-directly governed tribal areas, which enjoyed a form of autonomy, under its administrative and financial laws, imposing its national sovereignty over them. Now, by emphasizing the visa requirement, it asserts to recognize the Durand Line as the official border, erasing the historical rights of the free tribes. This issue negatively impacts trade and the economy, affecting not only the traders and consumers in Afghanistan but also causing losses for Pakistan.”
This economic expert emphasizes that the fundamental solution to the political issues lies in the two sides working together. According to him, Afghanistan needs Pakistan to access international waters, and these two economically interdependent countries cannot efficiently and cost-effectively obtain quality goods without each other.
Mr. Hafizi underscores, “The consumers suffer due to incorrect policies that are not transparent and are announced non-transparently. The transit problem will not be permanently resolved until the political issue is addressed.”
These statements come amid reports from local Pakistani media, citing Jan Achakzai, the Information Minister of Balochistan, stating that Pakistan has made the passage through all transit routes with Afghanistan contingent upon possessing travel documents. He emphasizes that having a visa for entry into Pakistan is a security matter, and this policy will be implemented at any cost.
