Afghan repatriation resumes amid Torkham crisis

PESHAWAR: The repatriation of Afghan nationals from Khyber district resumed after the Eid holidays, while the continued closure of the Torkham border crossing has intensified difficulties for residents of border areas, traders, transporters and Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan.

More than 1.177 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan since September 17, 2023. In the current phase of the drive, which began on February 28, over 82,500 Afghan nationals have been sent back. Officials said the campaign is continuing in different parts of the country, including Khyber district, where 1,208 Afghan refugees have been repatriated under the ongoing operation.

Authorities in Khyber also registered 42 cases during action against Afghans staying in the district illegally. After legal and administrative procedures were completed, those individuals were deported through the Torkham crossing. In Bara, Jamrud and Landi Kotal, officials sealed 44 shops run by Afghan nationals for what they described as illegal business activity, saying the measures were being carried out under government policy and the law.

The holding camp in Landi Kotal has become the main centre for the repatriation process. More than 3,000 Afghan refugees are arriving there daily from different parts of Pakistan. After NADRA verification, biometric registration and other formalities, they are repatriated the same day through Torkham.

Border closure hits transporters and local economy

The eight-month closure of the Torkham border to trade and pedestrian movement has also disrupted cross-border commerce and transport. Officials from the Transport Union said the matter of Pakistani drivers, conductors and vehicles stranded in Afghanistan remains unresolved.

Union representatives said they had submitted to authorities, a month ago, a detailed list containing the names of 560 drivers and conductors and 900 trailers, but no meaningful progress had followed. They said some drivers and conductors had returned through the Chaman border, but many others were still in Afghanistan. They added that trucks and trailers parked for months had become unusable, causing substantial losses for owners and threatening the livelihoods of thousands of families.

Jirga warns of protest after Eid

A grand jirga was held in Landi Kotal under a joint platform of political, social and trade groups. The meeting was attended by political party representatives, transporters, labour unions, traders and local elders. Among those present were Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber Amir Shah Faisal Afridi, Ziaul Haq Afridi, Mufti Ijaz Shinwari, Murad Hussain Afridi, Shah Khalid Shinwari and Shah Rehman Shinwari.

Speakers at the jirga said the prolonged suspension of trade and movement through Torkham had badly damaged the economy of the border belt, halted business activity and worsened unemployment and financial hardship. Participants said the delay in the return of stranded Pakistani vehicles, transporters, students and other citizens was unjust to the local population and called for immediate steps to resolve the issue.

At the end of the gathering, participants adopted a joint resolution warning that if Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan, including passengers, students and vehicles, were not allowed to return, they would launch a protest movement after Eid. The resolution said protesters could block the Pak-Afghan highway for all traffic and might also stop the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Mufti Ijaz Shinwari of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam said the closure of border crossings with Afghanistan had triggered an economic crisis in the tribal districts. He said the suspension of trade and movement had affected the livelihoods of millions and pushed many families into severe hardship. He added that more than 1,500 large Pakistani vehicles, along with drivers, conductors, students and other citizens, were still stranded in Afghanistan, and said most drivers were living in difficult conditions on Afghan roads with their trucks and trailers. He also said a joint meeting of the Landi Kotal Political Alliance, local elders, traders and the Transport Union would be held in the coming days to decide the next course of action, including possible protests.