KABUL (TOLONews): A number of traders and drivers in Nangarhar province have called for the completion of the second lane of the Jalalabad-Torkham highway.
This 75-kilometer road construction project was initiated by Pakistan about a decade and a half ago and was supposed to be completed within two years. However, after many years, it remains incomplete.
Samiullah, a driver from Nangarhar, said: “This road is a transit route for Central Asia, used by both large and small vehicles, but it also has many traffic problems.”
Farid Gul, another driver, added: “This route connects to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Torghundi, and it needs to be expanded and completed as soon as possible.”
Residents also expressed concern, noting that hundreds of freight trucks travel on this route daily, and its narrow width has caused numerous tragic traffic accidents.
Lal Rahman, a resident of Nangarhar, said: “Many traffic accidents happen on this route; children are run over, and our goods are damaged.”
Thawab Gul, another resident, added: “Pakistan has abandoned this road halfway, and it is deteriorating further. If the Pakistani government does not complete it, our government must. There is no order on this route, and vehicles move chaotically.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works has announced that if Pakistan has no plans to complete this road, they are ready to finish the project themselves.
Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, spokesperson for the ministry, said: “Currently, the conditions for implementing projects in Afghanistan are better than ever. If Pakistan does not have a plan to complete the remaining sections of this road, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works is ready to take on the project.”
Despite promises from a Pakistani delegation after the establishment of the Islamic Emirate to complete the road, no action has been taken so far.
