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Jalalabad (Pajhwok): Pakistan sometimes closes the Torkham crossing for trade and business activities in violation of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement and wants to put pressure on Afghanistan in this way.
Fresh fruit and vegetable traders in eastern Nangarhar province said the closure of the Torkham crossing sometimes resulted in heavy losses for traders.
Under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, merchants from both countries can use each other’s land to export and import goods.
The agreement was signed in 2010 and extended several times, but Afghan businessmen accuse Pakistan of violating the agreement.
Haji Ikhlasuddin, a fresh fruit trader in Nangarhar province, said Pakistan often finds different excuses to close the Torkham crossing when Afghanistan harvests fresh fruits and other items for export.
Zabiullah, a vegetable trader, said most of the fresh fruits and vegetables in the trucks were rotten due to the closure of Torkham crossing and problems created by Pakistan.
Haji Khawaja Mohammad, vice president of the Pakistan Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Union, said Pakistan’s violation of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement has caused trouble for traders, resulting in long waiting times for trucks and rotting of fruits and vegetables.
“When the fruit and vegetable season starts in Afghanistan, our neighbor Pakistan makes all kinds of excuses for us, politicizes the issue and increases the production in the export process of our fruit and vegetable products.”
Farmers in Nangarhar province also say they are unable to benefit from local markets and sometimes even fail to compensate for their expenses.
Rahmanuddin, a resident of Rohdha district, who started harvesting onions a few months ago, said Pakistan created trouble for farmers during the harvest season, so they took their onions to the local market for sale and suffered losses.
Local officials in Nangarhar also admitted that Pakistan sometimes closed the Torkham crossing, causing trouble for traders.
“They had promised that such issues would not happen in future and if there were any problems, they would be resolved through negotiations, but the door remained closed at times and when Pakistan closed the Torkham crossing, the Islamic Emirate made efforts to explore other options,” said Mawlavi Sediqullah Qureshi, deputy director for information and cultural affairs.
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