Pak-Afghan trade surges as Torkham border crossing open round-the-clock

KABUL/PESHAWAR: Afghanistan’s revenue from trade with Pakistan has substantially increased after the two neighbors inaugurated round-the-clock administrative operations at the Torkham border crossing last month, said officials in Kabul on Thursday.
Thousands of trucks have gone through the checkpoints at Torkham since the two countries introduced the 24-hour border facility.
The crossing point not only serves the two nations but also helps traders transport their goods to Indian and Central Asian markets.
“The 24-hour border facility has proved highly effective for the flow of trade and Afghanistan’s revenue,” Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the eastern Nangarhar province, told Arab News.
For years, Pakistan was the main trading partner of landlocked Afghanistan, though tensions between the two countries prompted President Ashraf Ghani’s administration to turn its attentions to Iran and Central Asian states as well.
Since assuming his country’s top political office, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Ghani have tried to turn over a new leaf and make a fresh start.
The 24-hour Torkham border decision is emblematic of that, benefiting both Afghanistan and Pakistan in economic terms.
Despite the utility of the 24-hour border service, however, a local Pakistani newspaper recently quoted unnamed Afghan officials as saying that Torkham should return to its normal work hours.
The report was subsequently denied by Vice President of Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce Hajji Usman and Kiftan Bacha, an Afghan Customs Clearing Agent and businessman, who called it “baseless” while talking to Arab News.
“When you have easy exchange of goods and the custom gates are open 24/7, it’s always a welcome thing,” Tawfiq Dawari, deputy head of Afghanistan’s Chambers of Commerce, said. “It has had a huge impact on our national revenue and trade.”
Discussing the significance of Torkham border’s round-the-clock facility, Dawari added: “It is highly important for our imports and exports. We are in the middle of the fruit season, and we are not only exporting them to Pakistan but India as well.”