KABUL - People on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan borders are experiencing tough times following fresh border restrictions imposed by Pakistan in the aftermath of a recent terrorist attack in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Hundreds of Afghans and Pakistanis are stuck on both side of the border. The business traffic between the two neighbors has been halted.
Among those stuck, there are dozens of patients on the Afghan side of the border who are waiting for permission to enter Pakistan for treatment. Pakistani immigration officials are not allowing them entry into Pakistan.
The situation is leading to huge financial losses for those trying to enter Pakistan.
Pakistan shut the Spin Boldak crossing ten days ago. Whenever the relations between the two countries sour, Pakistan imposes fresh border restrictions and shuts down the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.
“The Pakistani military came and burnt down the Indian flag in front of my soldiers. They always make such excuses. The Afghan government has no problem with them (Pakistan) neither do the Afghan forces,” said commissioner of Spin Boldak port, Mohammad Ali Dawari.
Samiullah is a resident of northern province of Takhar who has been stuck on the border for ten days.
“The Pakistani border police beat me with sticks and told us to go. We will not be allowed to enter Pakistan, because we are Afghan citizens. Our patient fell unconscious on the ground,” said Samiullah.
“This boy is my brother and he is suffering from Hepatitis B, my sister and mother also have the same illness,” said Nadia, Samiullah’s sister.
The Border closure has led to major economic losses for Samiullah.
“They (the Pakistanis) are not opening the border, this is not the ethics of a Muslim. We are detained here, we spent all our money on the way here,” said Samiullah’s mother Shukria.
Meanwhile, businessmen in Spin Boldak district of southern Kandahar province have said that border control by Pakistan has left major economic implications for business community from both countries.
“I evacuated 62 of my trucks in Chaman, I have no place to keep my goods, my goods are destroyed,” said local businessman Mohammad Idris.
“Pakistan is losing more than Afghanistan. We both have lost,” said another businessman Rahmatullah Pahlawan.
Thousands of people enter Pakistan and Afghanistan via the Spin Boldak crossing on the daily basis. The closure of the crossing by Pakistan has brought the regular and routine economic interactions between the two countries into standstill. (Tolonews)