QUETTA: Nato supplies, Afghan transit trade and business activities on both sides of the border remained suspended on the third consecutive day on Sunday as Pakistan kept the border with Afghanistan closed.

Pakistan shut the border at Chaman on Friday after an Afghan mob burnt a Pakistani flag and attacked the Friendship Gate on Thursday.

A flag meeting between border officials of the two countries failed to resolve the matter on Saturday. The meeting was held at the Friendship Gate at the request of Afghan officials.

Official sources said that Pakistani border authorities refused to open the border with Afghanistan in Chaman.

They asked Afghan officials to tender an apology for burning of the Pakistani flag on their side of the border close to the Friendship Gate.

The sources said that Afghan authorities were sending messages to Pak­istan to reopen the border to resume Nato and Afghan transit trade supplies.

Long queues of Nato containers and transit trade trucks could be seen on both sides of the border.

The people living on both sides of the border were also facing great difficulties because of the border closure.

Fruit and other food items could not reach Chaman from Afghanistan, causing problems for the area people whose livelihood depen­ds on selling food items coming from Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2016