Amid Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions, Torkham border continues to remain shut

Islamabad, Oct 19 (IANS) Amid tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Torkham border remained shut for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, local media reported on Sunday.

As the border crossing remained shut, sales of several daily-use commodities, like edibles, have witnessed a drop by almost 50 per cent in the Landi Kotal Bazaar, Pakistan's Dawn daily reported.

Speaking to Dawn, shopkeepers in Landi Kotal said that sales of these products were mainly connected with bilateral trade with Afghanistan through the Torkham border.

Awais Khan, a grocery store owner, said sales of the products have reduced by 50 per cent as most of the residents in Landi Kotal were involved in several works related to cross-border trade, transport and labour. He said that the majority of local residents had drained their savings they had made from engaging in various trading activities at Torkham.

Speaking to Dawn, fruit vendors at the local market said that the grapes and pomegranates imported from Afghanistan were almost not visible in the local market as no new consignment of the fruits had arrived from Afghanistan due to the week-long border closure.

They said that the price of one kilogram of grapes had reached over Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 500 following the border closure, and the fruit was now completely exhausted. The price of one kilogram imported from Afghanistan had reached up to PKR 600 following the border closure.

Local taxi service has also been badly affected due to the border closure. Meanwhile, the majority of trucks carrying perishable items have returned to Peshawar after waiting for nearly five to six days at the border. Transporters said that the edibles loaded on their vehicles were rotten due to the border closure.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following more than a week of intense fighting that left dozens dead and hundreds injured, Qatar's Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.

According to the Qatari statement, the two neighbouring countries also agreed to establish mechanisms aimed at consolidating lasting peace and stability, with follow-up talks scheduled in the coming days to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire.

Delegations from both Afghanistan and Pakistan were in Doha for negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkey.

The conflict started when Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul last week. Both Islamabad and Kabul have accused each other of aggression in recent days.

Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that militant groups have been launching attacks from Afghan territory, while Afghanistan has firmly denied harbouring any such elements responsible for cross-border violence.

Earlier, on October 18, three Afghan cricketers were killed in a Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan's Paktika province.

--IANS

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