Torkham, Boldak passageways reopen

KABUL (Agencies): Pakistan government has agreed to reopen the Torkham and Spin Boldak, the two major passageways to Afghanistan for trade, Afghan officials confirmed.

The two passageways were closed by Islamabad for several weeks for the fear of Corona virus spread. Afghanistan imports more than 50 per cent of its essentials including foodstuff from neighboring Pakistan.

Separately, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the passageways would be open three days a week for Afghan traders. Officials in the eastern province of Nangarhar which borders Pakistan’s city of Peshawar via Torkham passageway, said that “hundreds of trucks and trailers” stopped in Pakistan soil, entered the country. The officials said the Torkham passageway would be open.

Colonel Sharif Gharzai, commissioner for the Boldak border point, said the passageway was reopened at 07:00am, but truck drivers did not come for the fear of Corona virus. Hajji Abdullah, one of traders in Kandahar province that borders Pakistan’s city of Chaman via Boldak area, said restrictions were imposed for truck drivers who had to go in quarantine for two weeks after entering Chaman border city.

Ministry of Commerce and Industries said in a statement that transit problems would soon be resolved, confirming that the closure of Pakistan border ways, caused the price of foodstuff go higher in Afghan markets. “The ministry of commerce and industries has made a mechanism to resolve the problems of Afghan containers trapped in Pakistan,” it said. It said the passageways would be open and according to the mechanism.