KHYBER: Residents of Khyber district, traders, transporters, customs clearing agents, labourers and representatives of various political and religious parties staged a protest gathering in Landi Kotal on Sunday against the prolonged closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border and the suspension of bilateral trade.

The protesters warned that if the Torkham border was not reopened immediately, they would launch the next phase of their protest by staging a sit-in on the Pakistan-Afghanistan Highway.

The demonstration was addressed by Chairman Shah Khalid Shinwari, Customs Clearing Agents Association President Mujeeb Shinwari, Bara Political Alliance President Hashim Khan Afridi, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Shah Faisal Afridi, Abdul Raziq Shinwari, Aftab Shinwari, Tariq Afridi, Maulana Shoaib Qadri, Mirajuddin Shinwari, JUI-Bara chief Mufti Saeed, Murad Hussain Afridi and Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry Senior Vice President Wajid Shinwari, among others.

Speakers said the suspension of Pakistan-Afghanistan trade for nearly 10 months had devastated the economy of border areas, leaving thousands of transporters, customs clearing agents, labourers, shopkeepers and other business owners without work. They added that hundreds of thousands of people had been directly and indirectly affected by the economic downturn, with many families struggling to meet basic needs.

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The speakers also said the prolonged trade suspension had inflicted significant losses on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's industry and the national economy. They argued that despite the closure of trade routes, the government's security objectives had not been achieved, while rising unemployment was worsening the law and order situation.

According to the protesters, the continued closure has deprived the national exchequer of billions of rupees in customs revenue and disrupted Pakistan's trade access to Central Asian markets through Afghanistan.

The protesters urged the federal government to immediately review its policy regarding the Torkham border, reopen all trade crossings, restore trade and cross-border movement, and take urgent steps to revive livelihoods in border communities.

They reiterated that if the government failed to reopen the Torkham border, they would block the Pakistan-Afghanistan Highway and begin a sit-in protest.