KARACHI:
Pakistani truck drivers transporting goods to Afghanistan face a precarious situation amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, with hundreds of vehicles stopped at border crossings, leaving drivers stranded for weeks.
Exporters and logistics operators said the closure of major crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan has paralyzed regional freight movement, adding that many stranded drivers have depleted their cash and basic supplies, raising concerns about their safety and survival.
Junaid Makda, president of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, told The Express Pakinomist that well-known exporters, transporters and logistics companies had been hit hard because shipments to Afghanistan, Iran and the Central Asian markets were stuck at the border.
Border crossings between the two countries have remained closed since October 11 after clashes – the worst fighting since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021 – erupted after Kabul failed to respond to Islamabad’s demands to deny terrorists the use of Afghan soil.
Makda said the suspension of trade had created a crisis on the Pakistani side, with hundreds of drivers confined to border points without access to essentials. He warned that the disruption had hit at a time when kinnow exports typically reached their seasonal peak.
The joint chamber president said the situation worsened after the State Bank of Pakistan rejected a request to exempt kinnow exports to Iran and Central Asian states via Iran from financial instrument requirements.
Pakistan exported $110 million worth of kinnow last year, with this year’s estimate projected at $100 million. Makda said exporters had been unable to send shipments to traditional regional markets, putting farmers, supply chain workers and exporters under severe strain.
He said thousands of containers of bilateral, transit and Central Asian cargo were stuck in Pakistan, including shipments bound for Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Carriers and clearing agents, he added, incurred daily demurrage fees of $150 to $200 per container.
Makda called on the authorities to announce an immediate waiver of all demurrage and detention charges, saying traders and operators were already under severe financial pressure. He said the extended closure had caused significant losses to all stakeholders.
