By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi
PESHAWAR: Tribal elders, traders, transporters and customs agents warned that they would march on Islamabad and protest outside parliament if the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan was not reopened, saying the prolonged closure had pushed communities along the frontier into a deepening economic crisis.
The warning was issued at a grand jirga held on Industrial Road in Peshawar to discuss the economic and social impact of the closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossings. Participants said the crossings had remained closed for almost 10 months, disrupting trade and cutting off an important source of income for thousands of people.
Representatives of customs agents, traders, transporters, tribal elders and various organizations attended the gathering. They called on the government to reopen the crossings, particularly Torkham, and restore cross-border trade. They warned that failure to respond would lead to a joint protest movement stretching from Bajaur to Chaman and eventually to Islamabad.
Malik Abdullah Wazir said the prolonged closure had left some people dependent on loans and even forced others to seek assistance to survive. He urged office-bearers of different unions to join a coordinated campaign and organize a protest in the capital.
Previous demonstrations had failed to produce a meaningful response, he said. He described the closure as an economic assault on tribal communities, arguing that livelihoods had been cut off while poverty and unemployment were increasing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Wazir warned that worsening economic conditions could also contribute to crime and insecurity. “The government should have mercy on the tribal people and open the border for trade,” he said.
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