PESHAWAR: The historical Khyber Pass connecting Pakistan with Afghanistan is to get a revamping under the Peshawar-Torkham motorway project.
Perkash Lohano, the NHA general manager (planning), told Arab News that the World Bank-funded project includes the 47-kilometer Peshawar-Torkham motorway and also the overall development of Torkham border town in Khyber tribal district.
The four-lane motorway will have a service area, toll plaza, and filling station.
The time period for completion is two years but the overall project, including the development of Torkham roads linked to the motorway, will take four years, said the official.
“Besides four roads to be constructed in Torkham town, one modern truck stand and one bus stand will also be set up in the area. All this will be done under a proper master plan,” Lohano said.
The Khyber tribal district deputy commissioner, Islam Zeb, said the project is meant to enhance trade through Khyber Pass, which has traditionally been a strategic route.
According to an official document by NHA available with Arab News, the estimated cost of the project is $449 (MILLION???).
The document shows that the government Pakistan will provide 6.3 percent of the cost while the World Bank will provide 93.7 percent of the funds for the project.
The document adds that an estimated 7,817 vehicles would ply the proposed motorway every day. It adds that there are two components, one about the construction of the motorway and the second component is the development of the area.
The second component of the project includes technical assistance worth $7.0 (IS THAT 7, OR 70???) million and infrastructure investment worth $65 million. The technical assistance includes proposed designs and ideas for tourism development, the Khyber Pass Museum, preservation of Khyber Pass cultural heritage, industrial zones, etc.
Similarly, the infrastructure investment includes development of a service area, economic zones, a commercial area, truck terminal and warehouse facility, connecting roads and an urban development initiative in western greater Peshawar plan, an integrated bus terminal, cargo processing, traffic management and road safety.
Perkash said that after completion of the Peshawar-Torkham motorway, phase two would begin, by constructing the Torkham-Jalalabad (inside Afghanistan) and Jalalabad-Kabul motorways. The total length of the Peshawar-Kabul motorway is 281 kilometers. The other sections are Peshawar-Torkham (49km), Torkham-Jalalabad (76km) and Jalalabad-Kabul (155km).
The Khyber Pass is one of the world’s ancient routes, and known as the route of the invaders. The Persians, Mongols, Tartars, Moghuls and Afghans have all used this route during their expeditions between the 9th and 16th centuries.
Alexander the Great also sent his army to the plains of India through the Khyber Pass in 326 BC.
The route has much significance for trade between Pakistan, Afghanistan and onward through Central Asia.
Ancient Khyber Pass, the Pak-Afghan future trade route under way
Ancient Khyber Pass, the Pak-Afghan future trade route under way
Pakistan says Afghan forces opened ‘unprovoked’ border fire, warns of retaliation
- Incident follows Pakistan’s weekend strikes on TTP and Daesh targets inside Afghanistan
- Escalation threatens fragile ceasefire along 2,600-km frontier linking South and Central Asia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday accused Afghan Taliban forces of opening “unprovoked” fire along their shared border and warned that any further aggression would draw a swift response.
The latest exchange comes amid sharply rising tensions between the two neighbors following Pakistan’s weekend strikes targeting what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militant camps inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and condemned them as violations of its sovereignty, vowing to respond.
Cross-border violence has intensified since Pakistan blamed recent suicide bombings in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu on militants it says are based in Afghanistan. Islamabad maintains that militant safe havens across the border are driving a surge in attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Mosharraf Zaidi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson for foreign media, said Afghan forces opened fire near the Torkham border crossing and Tirah Valley in Pakistan’s northwest.
“Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately and effectively silencing the Taliban aggression,” he told Arab News. “Any further provocation will be responded to immediately and severely, god willing. Pakistan will continue to protect its citizens and guard its territorial integrity.”
The incident marks the second major escalation in less than a year. Similar Pakistani strikes last year triggered weeklong clashes before Qatar, Turkiye and other regional actors mediated a tenuous ceasefire in October.
The 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) frontier, a key trade and transit corridor linking Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan and onward to Central Asia, has faced repeated closures amid tensions, disrupting commerce and humanitarian movement. Trade between the two nations has remained closed since October.
Analysts warn that sustained military exchanges risk undermining diplomatic efforts to stabilize ties, including a Saudi-mediated initiative earlier this month that secured the release of three Pakistani soldiers.
Separately on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sharif discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani during talks in Doha, according to a statement from Sharif’s office. Both sides emphasized dialogue and de-escalation to promote regional stability.
