PESHAWAR: Businessmen related to cross-border trade, chamber representatives, customs clearing agents, and transporters have demanded of the federal government to reopen the Pak-Afghan trade routes without delay.

Theywere speaking at a jirga held at Bacha Khan Markaz here with ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain in the chair, according to a statement issued here on Wednesday.

ANP provincial general secretary Hussain Shah Yousafzai, and party spokesperson Arslan Khan Nazim also participated. The traders briefed the ANP leadership on the impact of prolonged Pak-Afghan border closure on local businesses.

Speaking at the jirga, Iftikhar Hussain said that the continued closure of trade routes with Afghanistan had caused huge losses to Pakhtun communities on both sides of the border.

He noted that the issue was decades-old, not a recent development. Despite Pakistan’s strained relations with India, he said trade at the Wagah border continued uninterrupted, while Afghan trade routes remained repeatedly blocked — an approach he termed unjust.

Mr Hussain remarked that in developed countries, neighbouring states took steps to positively influence each other’s economies, but the opposite was happening in the region.

According to him, shutting down trade routes harmed ordinary people in border areas rather than the ruling class. He added that CPEC remained stalled due to competing global interests, and that recent US demands regarding the Bagram Air Base had again pushed the region into uncertainty — burdens that ultimately fall on Pakhtuns.

The ANP senior leader questioned who, if anyone, was raising their voice for Pakhtun rights and economic grievances, saying that those in power remained indifferent.

He recalled that ANP had raised the issue of Pak-Afghan trade in the Senate and protested against the closure of the Torkham crossing.

Trade, he argued, must be separated from politics, rivalry, and security narratives. “If trade with India does not result in cross-border terrorism, why is trade with Afghanistan linked to terrorism,” he said, calling it clear double standards.

Reiterating the ANP’s longstanding slogan from the era of Bacha Khan — khpala khawra, khpal ikhtiyar (our land, our authority) — he urged both Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and respect each other’s sovereignty. He said that peace was best ensured through trade, and the ANP supports every demand related to Pakhtun rights and economic relief.

He added that durable and friendly relations with all neighbouring countries were essential, and that tension and confrontation could not resolve regional challenges. Pakistan, he said must reassess its foreign policy to build equal, stable, and cooperative relations — including with Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2025