Border Standoff With Afghanistan Cripples Pakistan’s Transport Network, Causes Massive Economic Losses

The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has led to the transport network in the country coming to a standstill causing colossal economic and humanitarian losses. Imdad Hussain Naqvi, the Senior Vice Chairman of the Goods Transportation Association, cites that thousands of trucks and trailers loaded with goods destined to Afghanistan and Central Asia states are stalled at ports and highways as a consequence of the political misjudgments of the city of Islamabad.

Naqvi opined that the increasing levels of hostility between the two neighbouring nations have reduced the transporters into a dismal condition. He clarified that his trucks had stalled in the border with no food, no water and no security and said that drivers were taking care of one another with no governmental support.

The convoys that are stalled are not just interfering with trade; they are also threatening thousands of Pakistani employees who rely on cross-border transportation.

He also added that the setbacks are in billions of rupees. Naqvi reiterated this, saying it is a loss to the transporters but also to the state as a whole, saying that the goods (not to mention the perishable goods such as pharmaceutical and food products) meant to be delivered to Afghanistan and Central Asia are going bad that have been stuck on roads. He blamed the government of not properly managing the situation and demanded immediate action to open trade routes and regain sanity.

Truck driver Haji Khan Zaid lamented by saying that when the transport stops, Pakistan stops. He urged the government to decouple politics with trade, as he will starve thousands of drivers and their families. Zar Meran was another driver who had a similar frustration. Every one of our vehicles is parked, and we have nothing to do. The Afghan route had just to be opened, that is all we are waiting, you see we are waiting, he said, and the government was silent.

The economic blowback is becoming more profound as the war between Pakistan and Afghanistan persists. The border shutdown has revealed the weak economic reliance of Pakistan on regional trading paths and excessive cost of political turmoil to the common workers.

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