KHYBER: Customs clearing agents and transporters blocked the Torkham highway here on Sunday in protest against slow process of customs clearance and traffic congestion on the important artery.

A protest camp was established at the Hamza Baba Chowk in Charwazgai area, where a large number of transporters and customs clearing agents converged to express their reservations about the painfully slow process of customs clearance and the traffic police’s inability to regulate traffic on the highway.

On the occasion, customs clearing agents alleged that while they were made to wait for days for want of space at the under-construction customs terminal, customs officials and National Logistics Cell staff allowed over 100 loaded vehicles to go across the border out-of-turn after taking bribes from the transporters.

They alleged that though there was space for at least 300 vehicles in the parking lot of the existing customs terminal building, they were forced to park their vehicles on the main road while exposing them to robberies and insecurity.

The transporters said their vehicles were stopped and searched several times within half a kilometre distance from customs offices up to the border crossing despite their electronic scanning at the customs terminal by the NLC staff.

Accusing fingers were also raised at the traffic police for their failure to regulate the traffic on the main highway, and also forcing transporters to pay them money in return for allowing them ‘double-parking’ and onward journey towards the border.

The protesters agreed to reopen the road after an assurance by provincial minister for religious affairs Adnan Qadri that the matter would be raised at the floor of the provincial assembly.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024