KHYBER: Scores of agitated transporters, backed by civil society activists, held a protest demonstration in Landi Kotal on Monday to seek safe return of their colleagues stranded in Afghanistan owing to closure of Torkham border.

The leaders of transporters including Azeemullah Shinwari, Rehmanzeb Afridi and Bakhtiar Khan said that 900 vehicles with more than 600 drivers and their assistants had stranded on Afghanistan side of the border since October last year when all borders were closed due to clashes between the security forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

They said that family members of stranded transporters were passing through agonising moments with every passing day as they were not given any assurance by the concerned official quarters about any possible return of these transporters.

They urged federal government and security officials to arrange for the safe return of all the stranded transporters prior to Eidul Azha to enable them to celebrate the festival with their families.

Political leaders demand reopening of Torkham border

In a separate development, representatives of various political parties held a meeting in Landi Kotal on Monday and demanded of the government to reopen Torkham border for all types of cross-border movements.

They said that the eight months long closure of the border confronted hundreds of families with acute financial problems and a number of daily wagers were on the verge of starvation owing to loss of their manual jobs.

They said that most families in Landi Kotal also lost their financial capability to purchase sacrificial animals for the forthcoming Eidul Azha as the local market too was hit hard by the prolonged closure of Torkham.

Meanwhile, repatriation of Afghan families registered a minor increase since the last couple of days despite strict instructions of Peshawar commissioner to expedite the process before Eidul Azha.

Officials in Landi Kotal told Dawn that 299 and 297 vehicles carrying hundreds of the returning Afghan families crossed over to Afghanistan on May 16 and 17, respectively.

Also during the last two days, 267 empty vehicles have come back from Afghanistan. Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud had on the directives of Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi ordered relevant authorities on May 15 to expedite the repatriation process while setting a target of sending at least 500 vehicles on daily basis.

Officials said that the meeting was also attended by FIA director, Customs collector, director general of Nadra Peshawar, deputy commissioner of Khyber and high ranking security officials.

They said that a detailed review of the repatriation process was made during the meeting while emphasis was laid on effective coordination among different government departments and devising a comprehensive strategy for expediting the repatriation process and provision of better facilities to the returning families.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2026