Chaman grinds to a halt amid protests

QUETTA: Trade between Pakistan and Afghanis­tan via the Chaman border crossing ground to a halt on Tuesday, as participants of a month-long sit-in be­ing held against the strict visa regime introduced by Pakistan blocked the highway leading to Kandahar.

Protesters blocked the highway in Chaman on Monday morning which partially suspended the transit trade and other imports and exports. Customs officials, however, said that for the past 24 hours, trade activities had been completely suspended through Friendship Gate — the authorised border crossing between Chaman and the Afghan district Spin-Boldak.

“Not a single truck… crossed or returned from Afghanistan on Tuesday due to blocking of the main highway linking Chaman with Kandahar,” a senior customs officer told Dawn on the phone.

Hundreds of protestors have put barricades and hurdles at the road leading towards Friendship Gate, refusing to allow any vehicle loaded with goods to cross. The caravans of illegal immigrants leaving for Afghan­istan, however, were moving as per routine.

Balochistan caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai confirmed that the border crossing was open for the refugees who were going back to Afghanistan. He cited security officials deployed at the border saying that the trucks carrying goods to Afghanistan were using other routes to enter the country.

Traders block highway, demand withdrawal of strict visa regime; trade at Torkham border also suspended briefly

“The government has engaged the leaders of the All Parties Traders Alliance to resolve the issue through negotiation,” Mr Achakzai told Dawn. He added that the provincial government assured them that the government would provide alternate employment to the people involved in “illegal business” across the border.

The alliance, enjoying the support of different political parties, has been staging a sit-in in Chaman for the last months against the decision to regularise the crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan through a one-document regime.

This decision was taken by the National Apex Committee last month. Pakistan enforced the new border crossing policy on Nov 1. The border authorities at Chaman refused to allow anyone to cross the Pak-Afghan border without a passport and valid visa from both sides.

The traders’ alliance has asked the federal government to withdraw its one-document regime policy and allow the people of Chaman and Spin Boldak to continue crossing the border using their respective national identity cards.

On the other hand, the government has refused to withdraw its decision and announced that nobody will be allowed to enter Pakistan without a passport and valid visa.

“The passport office in Chaman is receiving passport allocation forms…and has issued over 200 passports over the past week, while 1,200 tokens have been issued to the people who applied for the passport,” the official said.

“In response, the Afghan government has also stopped the entry of all types of commercial vehicles from the other side,” a Pakistani official at the northern Torkham border said on condition of anonymity.

It was also reported that the Torkham border crossing had been closed for trade. Jan Achakzai said the Torkham border was closed by the Afghan authorities when Pakistani stopped Afghan drivers from entering Pakistan without documents.

The trade between remained suspended for seven hours, but it resumed after a meeting between the two sides. The Afghan drivers subsequently were allowed to enter Pakistan without passports.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2023

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