KHYBER: Traders, customs clearing agents and transporters have warned of an indefinite sit-in on the Pak-Afghan Highway if the government fails to immediately restore trade through the Torkham border crossing, which they say has remained suspended for the past nine months.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the District Press Club in Khyber, representatives of the Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association, All Torkham Transport Union and the local business community urged the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, along with relevant authorities, to intervene and reopen the border for commercial activities.

The press conference was addressed by Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association President Mujeeb Shinwari, former president Aimal Shinwari, Shah Jahan, Hazrat Umar and All Torkham Transport Union President Azeemullah.

The speakers said the prolonged suspension of trade had pushed thousands of families into severe financial hardship. According to them, around 4,000 labourers, 2,000 local transporters, 1,500 customs clearing agents and thousands of traders, as well as businesses linked to the trade corridor from Khyber to Karachi, had been affected.

They said many daily wage earners were struggling to meet their basic needs due to the closure.

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Describing Torkham as one of the country's most important trade gateways, the speakers said the border served as a vital commercial route connecting Pakistan with Afghanistan and Central Asian states, while also providing the primary source of income for a large segment of the local population.

They claimed the closure was also causing substantial losses to the national economy. According to the association, export trade worth nearly $2.5 million per day and import-related revenue of around Rs540 million were being affected, resulting in significant losses to the national exchequer.

Association President Mujeeb Shinwari said the business community had remained patient over the past nine months in the interest of national security, peace and stability, but the situation had now become unbearable.

He further alleged that more than 30 business centres and offices at the Torkham border had been destroyed during cross-border tensions and shelling, while the affected traders had yet to receive compensation or any relief package.

The traders called on the federal and provincial governments to announce an immediate relief package for customs clearing agents, traders, labourers and transporters to help ease their financial difficulties.

They also appealed to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the ministries of commerce and foreign affairs, the prime minister, the army chief, other relevant institutions and Afghan authorities to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and restore cross-border trade without further delay.

The speakers maintained that trade should remain separate from political disputes, arguing that uninterrupted commercial activity was in the interest of both countries and the wider region.

They warned that if no practical steps were taken to reopen the border, they would, after consultations with tribal elders, political parties, social organisations and the affected business community, stage an indefinite sit-in on the Pak-Afghan Highway until their demands were met.