Peshawar: On Peshawar’s bustling Ring Road, the late afternoon sun glints off rows of trucks, trailers, and containers bound for Afghanistan, a long, unmoving line stretching as far as the eye can see.
Drivers have spread mats beneath their vehicles to escape the heat. Some nap in the shade, others sip tea or gather in small circles, chatting about everything from politics to prices.
Under one rice-loaded trailer, a few men are hunched over their phones, playing Ludo, cups of steaming chai placed beside them.
The game stops abruptly when a reporter approach, the conversation shifts to the issue that has left them stranded here for days: the closure of the Torkham and Chaman borders and the paralysis of Pakistan-Afghanistan trade.
Voices from the Border
“We’ve been stuck here in Peshawar since October 13, when the Torkham border was shut down,” says Shareefullah, a 39-year-old trailer driver. “Every morning, we hope the border will reopen, and every evening that hope fades. I’m waiting to take my rice-loaded trailer to Afghanistan.”
“Drivers like us are waiting not only here in Pakistan, but also across the border in Afghanistan. Every single day matters for us,” he added.
Border Tensions and Closure
The latest crisis erupted after unprovoked fire from Afghan border forces targeted several Pakistani military posts along the frontier, triggering strong retaliation from Pakistan.
Islamabad maintains that it was exercising its right to defend its territory and personnel after repeated provocations and violations from across the border.
In response to the aggression, Pakistan temporarily sealed all key crossings with Afghanistan, including Torkham, Kharlachi, Angoor Adda, Ghulam Khan, and Chaman, to ensure security and protect trade convoys.
Officials say that despite subsequent talks in Doha, the situation along the frontier remains tense, and cross-border trade routes will stay closed until credible assurances of non-aggression are received from the Afghan side.
The closures, Pakistani officials emphasize, are a necessary security measure rather than a political move, reflecting Islamabad’s growing frustration over Kabul’s failure to prevent militant infiltration and border attacks that threaten regional stability.
Structure of Pak-Afghan Trade
According to Pakistan Customs, cross-border trade flows primarily through the four Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crossings and the Chaman–Spin Boldak point in Balochistan.
The trade operates through two main frameworks:
- Pak-Afghan Transit Trade, and
- Regular bilateral imports and exports.
The Afghan Transit Trade Agreement, first signed in 1965 and modernized in 2010, governs this system.
Until 2023, Pakistan imposed no duty on Afghan-bound goods. That changed when the government introduced a 10% development cess and implemented chip-based electronic tracking for all transit vehicles, giving Customs the power to inspect containers anywhere inside Pakistan.
Under the arrangement, goods — ranging from food items and textiles to cement and consumer products — are shipped via Port Qasim and Karachi Port to Afghanistan.
Scale of Disruption
According to Junaid Makda, President of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce,
“When all trade crossings were closed on October 12, nearly 1,400 Afghan transit containers were stranded inside Pakistan, waiting for the border to reopen.”
Currently, 291 containers are stuck at Karachi and Port Qasim, 500 bound for Chaman, 400 for Torkham, 100 for Ghulam Khan, and 80 for Kharlachi. Over 1,000 more containers are still aboard ships awaiting unloading,” he elaborated.
The transit trade is vital for Afghanistan, and by extension, for regional markets, carrying edible oil, ghee, chocolates, rice, cloth, cement, and other essentials.
Economic Losses and Trade Shifts
Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, Senior Vice President of the same chamber, estimates staggering financial losses:
“The border closure is causing losses of nearly one billion rupees per day. Transit trade supports not just transporters but also hotels, laborers, and local businesses,” Sarhadi told WE News.
In 2023, Pakistan banned 225 items under the transit trade to curb smuggling, which slashed trade volume by 70–80%. As a result, Afghanistan began diverting its trade to Iran’s Chabahar and Bandar Abbas ports, said Sarhadi.
He added that hundreds of containers remain stranded near the Torkham and Chaman borders and urged both governments to “resolve misunderstandings and revive trade through a joint policy framework.”
Customs and FBR Perspective
Customs authorities defend the restrictions, arguing that before 2023, much of the Afghan transit trade was smuggled back into Pakistan. The volume of such trade had risen sharply — from $4.1 billion in 2021–22 to $6.7 billion in 2022–23.
For instance, Afghanistan officially imported $82 million worth of tea in 2022–23 — an amount that far exceeds realistic domestic consumption, raising suspicions of re-export and smuggling.
According to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR):
- In 2021–22, Pakistan sent 74,316 containers under transit trade.
- In 2022–23, that number rose 39% to 102,886 containers.
- It was projected to surpass 130,000 containers by 2024–25.
Bilateral trade, excluding transit flows, has also expanded, crossing $2 billion last year. Pakistan maintains a trade surplus with only three countries: the U.S., Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
During 2024–25, Pakistan’s imports from Afghanistan amounted to $566 million, while exports stood at $1.5 billion.
A senior Customs officer noted:
“The ban on 225 items under the National Anti-Smuggling Policy was meant to boost local production, attract investment, and cut off terrorist financing. Compared to 2023, Afghanistan’s transit trade volume has now dropped by nearly 90%.”
Political and Security Undercurrents
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul’s Taliban administration of failing to curb terrorist outfits like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), both blamed for launching cross-border attacks. Kabul denies these allegations.
The TTP, emboldened since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, has stepped up attacks against Pakistani security forces — a trend that has triggered repeated clashes and border shutdowns.
Although both sides agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Saturday, tensions remain high, with key crossings still closed.
According to the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), the annual Pakistan-Afghan trade volume has collapsed from $2.5 billion to just $10 million over the past two fiscal years.
A Standoff with Far-Reaching Impact
The Chaman–Spin Boldak route — along with Torkham — remains among the busiest and most strategically vital trade arteries between the two nations. For now, the trucks on Peshawar’s Ring Road stand still, their drivers staring at the horizon, waiting for the borders — and their livelihoods — to reopen.
“I’ve been here for nine days now,” said Naimatullah Khan, a truck driver from Swabi, sitting beside his parked container.
“My wife keeps calling, asking when I’ll come home, my kids cry to talk to me on video call every night. But what can I tell them? Until the border opens, we’re just stuck here under these trucks, waiting.”
