Assalamu alaikum - Border closures leave traders in Chaman struggling amid Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes
Assalamu alaikum. CHAMAN/BALOCHISTAN - Hajji Abdul Bari Achakzai’s office looks empty these days. The chairs sit unused in his Chaman office, a clear sign of how repeated border shutdowns after recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have choked cross-border trade.
Fighting flared on Oct. 11 when Afghan forces struck several Pakistani posts. Afghan officials said their strikes killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in response to what they described as repeated incursions into their territory and airspace. Pakistan’s military reported lower casualties, saying it lost 23 soldiers and that more than 200 fighters described as Taliban and affiliated militants were killed in retaliatory strikes along the frontier.
Those exchanges led to the temporary closure of key border crossings, including the Chaman crossing in Balochistan and the Torkham crossing in the northwest, which effectively stopped the flow of people and goods between the two countries.
Seventy-year-old Achakzai’s family has worked on importing and exporting through Chaman for around 60 years. He says the shutdowns have hit his business hard and left the town struggling.
"Because the border keeps closing, Chaman is almost completely out of work," Achakzai told local reporters on Saturday.
Pakistan traditionally sends fresh fruit, rice, flour and other food items to Afghanistan, and imports things like dry fruits and scrap material from across the border.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghan authorities of not acting against militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), saying those groups launch attacks on Pakistani soil from Afghanistan - a claim Kabul denies. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the TTP has carried out attacks on Pakistani security forces, contributing to repeated border clashes and closures.
Both countries announced a ceasefire in Doha on Saturday, but tensions and border shutdowns remain in many places.
According to the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, annual trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has fallen sharply - from roughly $2.5 billion to about $10 million over the past two fiscal years.
Besides Torkham, the Chaman–Spin Boldak route is one of the busiest and most important trade links between the two countries.
"Chaman was a key transit point for routes like Kabul–Karachi and Herat–New Delhi and it used to bring income to many of us," Achakzai said.
Zia Ul Haq Sarhardi, senior vice president of the joint chamber, warned the recent tensions are causing losses amounting to billions of rupees and called the situation a "major tragedy." He said he does not expect the border to reopen easily given the worsening relations.
Muhammad Ayoub Meerani, president of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, blamed government policy for the decline in trade, saying Afghanistan’s markets have shifted toward Iran, Uzbekistan and other neighbors.
"Even small perishable items aren’t leaving from here, costing Balochistan’s business community millions," Meerani said, urging both sides to end the conflict and restore trade.
DESERTED MARKETS
Local shopkeepers in Chaman are struggling to find customers. Naimatullah Achakzai, 36, sells dry fruits on Taj Road and says the market is "almost dead."
"About 60 percent of the stock in my shop comes from Afghanistan - almonds, raisins, cashews, walnuts, all kinds of dry fruits. We bring them from across the border and then supply them across Pakistan," he said.
He warned that if the disruption continues, nearly 2 million people in Chaman and in Spin Boldak on the Afghan side could face severe hardship.
Hajji Jamal Shah Achakzai, head of the traders’ association in Chaman district, echoed that concern.
"Our livelihood depends on the border. Goods that used to move back and forth are almost gone," he said. "Chaman has suffered heavy losses. If this keeps up, people will start leaving this border town."
May Allah ease the situation and open ways for peace and trade again, Insha'Allah.
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