KHYBER: The continuous closure of the Torkham border since October 13 has multiplied the woes of hundreds of stranded transporters, with many running short of money while others suffering from physical and psychological issues, it has been learnt.

Local and Afghan transporters stranded on the road leading to Torkham border said that roughly around 4,000 to 5,000 vehicles, loaded with multiple trade goods, were awaiting the reopening of the border with no definite date in sight in the near future about resumption of trading relations between the two ‘hostile’ neighbours.

They said that they were now faced with numerous issues, including huge and unexpected monetary losses, personal and goods security, acute shortage of food and water and continuous mental torture.

Akhtar Jan, a local transporter, said that a number of his colleagues had exhausted their money during the last two weeks by arranging water and food, medicines and maintenance of their loaded vehicles.

He said that none of the so-called transporters’ unions had so far inquired about their plight, while the brokers and goods owners, too, had turned a blind eye to their financial woes as they refused to offload the current consignment in order to save them from further losses.

He said that they were finding it very difficult to simultaneously stand guard to their loaded vehicles along with arranging for food and water while also having to sleep on the hard surface of the road as they had no alternatives.

Ghani Gul, another driver, told Dawn that during normal days, they would carry cash and other necessary daily use items for a maximum of one week, a two-way journey from Peshawar to Kabul and back to Peshawar.

“But this time we are stuck in a very uncertain situation as the dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan has prolonged beyond our expectations, and we are thus confronted with a grave situation,” he added.

He said that a number of drivers and their assistants had contracted various weather-related diseases, while some were seriously suffering from psychological issues as they were losing hope for any immediate reopening of the border.

Mr Gul sarcastically said that stray dogs too had become their ‘enemies’ as they would either snatch their food or would disturb their sleep during the night time.

He stated that, being non-locals, they were also conscious about their personal and local residents’ privacy, as most of the vehicles were parked on the main road close to houses.

He said local people too had become tired of providing them food and shelter due to the prolonged closure of the border, while the transport unions had shown utter indifference about their ordeal.

Making a passionate appeal to the higher authorities of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the ‘suffering’ transporters demanded exclusion of bilateral trade from political and security issues between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2025