Some traders say that due to the increased traffic of cargo trucks between Afghanistan and Pakistan, dozens of Afghan cargo trucks are now stuck at Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.
These traders said that the halting of these trucks causes them significant financial losses every day.
Ramazan Mansouri, a trader, said: “When we unload the goods, they need to reach Karachi as quickly as possible. Since the containers do not reach their destinations on time, demurrage charges of $1,000 to $1,500, or even $2,000, are imposed, causing us significant losses.”
Zalmai Azimi, another trader, said: “Hundreds of trucks are stuck at the zero points of Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings, and every day, these delays cost us 500,000 to 600,000 dollars.”
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, confirming these challenges, has called for serious attention from the Islamic Emirate to address the issue.
Khan Jan Alokozai, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “We hope that the authorities, especially the Prime Minister’s Office and the Economic Council of Mullah Baradar’s office, pay serious attention to this issue and send a delegation to Torkham. Traders’ goods have arrived, but they are damaged and under penalties.”
This year, the repeated closures of Pakistan’s crossings to Afghan cargo trucks, border conflicts between the two sides, and additional tariffs imposed by Pakistan on Afghanistan’s export and transit goods have caused an unprecedented decline in Afghanistan-Pakistan trade.