Peshawar – Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Fazal Moqeem Khan has urged the government and relevant authorities to take urgent steps to reopen the Pak-Afghan highway for trade and transportation to prevent further monetary losses for traders on both sides of the border.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, Fazal Moqeem said that bilateral trade, transit trade, and exports have nearly come to a halt due to the closure of the Pak-Afghan highway trade routes for the past several months. He added that the volume of mutual trade and transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has dropped to an alarming level as a result of the closure.
Moqeem expressed concern that if the government does not take timely action, bilateral trade could come to a complete standstill, which would be detrimental to the national economy and could trigger unemployment.
Zahidullah Shinwari, a former president, stated that the Pak-Afghan bilateral trade volume is already very low. He noted that mutual trade and transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been severely affected by the closure of the trade route for the last several months. He pointed out that halting these trades has also inflicted significant financial losses on traders on both sides. Additionally, he said that local people and passengers are facing hardships due to the closure.
Zahidullah Shinwari emphasised the need for a swift solution to the issue through mutual consensus and negotiation to resume bilateral trade and transit trade, thereby saving traders from further monetary losses. It has been reported that the president of the Afghanistan/Kabul Chamber of Commerce and Industry also expressed concern over the closure of the Pak-Afghan highway, stating that Pak-Afghan bilateral trade has dropped by 80 percent.
