KHYBER: Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan temporarily came to a halt on Saturday as trucks loaded with import and export items became stranded on both sides of the border due to the imposition of visa restrictions on truck drivers by the Pakistan government.

Officials told transporters from both countries that they could not move to either side of the border without valid visas on their passports.

The sudden imposition of the restrictions caused traffic congestion at the border point on both sides, as the majority of drivers and their assistants could not present valid travel documents.

Ashna Mohammad, a truck driver, told Dawn that he was stuck in traffic despite having a visa sta­mped on his passport. How­ever, several drivers ahead of his vehicle did not have visas and were thus not allowed to cross the border.

Sabir Khan, a local customs clearing agent, told Dawn that with fruit imp­orts from Afghanistan com­ing to an end due to winter, the export of Pak­i­s­tani goods had incr­eased, leading to a traffic rush from the Pakistan side.

He mentioned that Afg­han border authorities had also stopped some Pak­is­tani drivers from entering Afghanistan after the sudden implementation of visa restrictions on Afghan dri­vers by the Pakistan government.

Mr Khan further stated that hundreds of trailers and containers loaded with Pakistani export goods, including cement, tractors, other agricultural tools, vegetables, oranges, and miscellaneous items, were stranded on the Pakistan side, causing hardships for the transporters.

It was also learnt that customs and security officials were in constant touch with high-ups in Islamabad for the early settlement of the visa issue for Afghan transporters.

Customs officials emphasised that with exports from Pakistan flowing at a high rate, they could not afford any delay in the customs clearance of goods already arrived at the Torkham border.

Representatives of local transporters demanded Pakistani authorities show leniency in the implementation of the visa policy and allow vehicles that have been cleared by customs authorities to proceed to Afghanistan.

They argued that these restrictions would not only result in financial losses but also negatively affect bilateral trade.

Local transporters are already troubled by the prolonged delay in the completion of the much-awaited customs terminal at Torkham by the National Logistics Cell.

Afghan border official Abdul Jabbar Hekmat, in a statement on Friday, said Torkham was closed to commercial truck drivers without visas from Pakis­tani authorities, AFP adds.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024