July 26, 2019
The strategic Torkham border will be open round the clock from August 2019 onwards, as announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The move will help increase trade activities on both sides of the border. Asma Paracha, an official from Pakistan’s Customs, told Afghan Studies Center that officials of all the departments will work in three shifts from now on. Clearance of the vehicles will speed up after commencement of this policy. She further said that the Custom department has demanded from the government to provide two hundred officials in addition to scanners, lighting arrangement, walk-through gates and CCTV cameras.
According to the President of Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sadiq Afridi, Pakistan’s export to Afghanistan, currently at 1.5 billion dollars, will increase manifold with the 24/7 opening of this key crossing point.
“Exports from Afghanistan will be multiplied. Our business community has highlighted that staff officials should be increased and I am sure that the current trade will be doubled soon,” he said.
Further, custom officials have reported that up to 400 vehicles cross the border to Afghanistan everyday while almost 250 vehicles enter Pakistan. With the opening of the Torkham border round the clock, many problems related to their movement will be resolved, according to the president of Torkham Transport Union, Azeem Ullah.
“If the gate is open for twenty-four hours, then we will not face any traffic congestion. As a result, every transport will reach its destination on time and food items will also remain fresh upon their delivery. Problems of transport will, thus, be minimized and if officials do their duty well, then we will have greater ease,” he explained.
According to the administration in Khyber – a newly merged district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about 10,000 people cross the border each day and this number is anticipated to increase with the new policy. He apprised that NADRA and custom officials have arrived and will be operating in Torkham round the clock to facilitate travelers. Regarding this, a driver, Sher Asghar of Acheen Ulaswalai, Nangarhar, Afghanistan told Afghan Studies Center that after coming from Karachi, he used to stay at Torkham because of the border being open for limited hours. However, now he will be able to pass through to Afghanistan without having to stay at Torkham.
“Great facilitation will come to us. Last night the gate closed at 8 pm and we had to stay for another day here. It will ease us and it will benefit us. Moreover, the money asked of us by Khasadar (paramilitary force for erstwhile FATA) will also decrease,” he said.
Pakistan officials at the border also apprised that the number of police deployed in the area is sufficient for the smooth facilitation of border management. He said that there are seven platoons of police where each platoon has up to forty officials. Further progress is underway which will minimize many problems thus far faced for travelers. Gul Rehan, from Afghanistan, brings his son to Pakistan to a hospital each week. He routinely faces hurdles while crossing the border and demanded for the ease of his movement and many others like him.
“He is my son and he is ill, and I have to come to Pakistan every week. We do not have passports but sometimes we are allowed without our passports. We need the opening of this gate for twenty-four hours. This will facilitate all patients and other people.”
Afghan Studies Center hopes that this major confidence building measure by the Government of Pakistan – in the form of 24/7 opening of Torkham border – will help in further strengthening of the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and will pave the way for comprehensive engagements in all the domains; bilateral trade in particular.
Reporting by Farid Shinwari from Khyber for Afghan Studies Center.
