KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghan traders say they are losing at least $2.5 million daily as the Torkham border, a key trade crossing with Pakistan, remains closed for nearly a month following deadly clashes between Pakistani forces and the Taliban.
Gulmorad Arab, head of the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said thousands of trucks loaded with commercial goods are stranded on both sides of the crossing, calling for the reopening of all trade routes to prevent further losses.
“Afghan traders lose $2.5 million daily due to the closure of the Torkham border gate,” Arab said. “If these routes remain closed, we will change our trade routes because Pakistan always closes Torkham under some pretext.”
The Torkham crossing, one of two main trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, was shut last month for both travelers and cargo after several days of intense clashes. The crossing has since remained shut, except for the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.
Local traders in eastern Afghanistan also report heavy financial losses as fresh produce and perishable goods spoil in trucks stranded at the border.
“Each trader has lost over $1 million. For a month, trucks full of fresh fruits and vegetables have been stuck and not allowed to enter Pakistan,” said Zalmai Azimi, a trader in Nangarhar. “Dozens of trucks carrying fresh produce have spoiled, and hundreds of others are parked on both sides, forcing traders to pay transport and storage costs while their goods decay.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that the month-long shutdown has cost Pakistan more than $45 million in exports and about Rs16.5 billion ($59 million) in import losses. Business sources told the outlet that Pakistan has lost over 65% of its share of the Afghan market to Iran, Central Asian countries and India due to repeated border closures and strained trade relations.
“We are now disheartened with the current pattern of complicated business with Afghanistan,” said Qari Nazeem Gul, a Pakistani trader. “Most local traders have lost interest due to ongoing political and security tensions.”
The Torkham crossing, located between Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan’s Nangarhar provinces, is a key gateway for Afghanistan’s imports of food, fuel, and construction materials, and for Pakistan’s exports of cement, textiles, and agricultural products.
Bilateral trade between the two countries peaked at around $2.5 billion in 2010 but fell to $1.6 billion before rising slightly to just over $1.8 billion in 2022–23, according to the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
