In First, Pakistan Restricting 4 of 5 Crossing Areas With Afghanistan

Among 5 joint crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, only Ghulam Khan crossing is not blocked.

According to the Chamber of Commerce and Investments, the restrictions in the trade sector are a loss to both sides and it is needed for Kabul and Islamabad to reach an agreement.

Torkham, Spin Boldak, Ghulam Khan, Dand-e-Patan and Angur Ada are the joint crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Khan Jan Alokozay,  head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is a very bad situation since the history of the creation of Pakistan that all our crossings with Pakistan have been blocked. Thousands of vehicles have stopped on that side of Torkham and hundreds of cars on this side of Torkham, and we see that Pakistan is also losing.”

Alokozay said that this is the first time that Pakistan blocked all its crossings with Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) stated that from time to time Pakistan creates problems in trade with Afghanistan and there is a need to make Afghanistan’s trade more diversified in order to solve these challenges.

Mohammad Yunus Momand, the first deputy of the ACCI, said: “Afghanistan has alternative ways and we want to expand relations with regional and neighboring countries and we don’t want relations to be damaged. As an example, we can mention that we want to import fabric from Pakistan but now other countries have taken the market for Pakistan’s fabrics, which is unfortunate for us.”

A number of businesspeople believe that Afghanistan’s trade with the countries of the region should be increased through alternative ways, including Chabahar port.

“We ask the chambers of commerce to find alternative ways for us, like Central Asia, because Pakistan often shuts down when it’s grape or pomegranate season under various excuses,” said Zadran Naseri, a trader.

“The fruit that is outside is also inside the country, they should prepare cold storage and arrange a transit route for us, via Pakistan or India,” said Khwaja Shamsuddin, another trader.

Earlier, Pakistan also closed the Torkham crossing for 9 days, and the blocking of Afghan goods in the port of Karachi caused more than $26 million dollars in losses for the traders of both sides.