ISLAMABAD: The bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is temporarily halted due to security concerns at the border customs stations.
Before the suspension of bilateral trade took effect, customs officials successfully processed and cleared 363 import vehicles at Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi, and Angoor Adda crossings, falling under the jurisdiction of Northern region of Appraisement.
At Torkham, 23 import vehicles are pending clearance as the importers did not file goods declarations. These vehicles, however, contain non- perishable goods like fabric, paint, peanuts, and pulses. It is expected that same would be cleared by the customs as soon as goods declarations are filed by the concerned importers or customs clearing agents.
As regards exports, 255 vehicles are still lying inside the terminal at Torkham due to closure of border while around 200 vehicles are stranded along the Jamrud-LandiKotal road. No import vehicle is pending clearance at the border stations of Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi and Angoor Adda.
At Chaman Border Customs Station, customs clearance operations have been suspended since October 15, 2025.
As a result, 5 import and 23 export vehicles are currently awaiting processing. Notably, the owners of the 23 export consignments have declined to dray off consignments and have instead chosen to wait for cross-border trade to resume.
Regarding transit consignments, approximately 495 vehicles are awaiting border crossing at Torkham and Chaman. Majority of these—412 vehicles—are stranded at Chaman, with the remaining 83 at Torkham.
The customs staff is available at the border stations to resume the clearance process as soon as borders open and situation returns to normalcy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
