PESHAWAR: Pakistan this week formally reopened the Angoor Adda border crossing with Afghanistan after nearly two years, a move officials and traders said would revive cross-border commerce, generate local employment and improve connectivity in the country’s northwest.
The crossing, which lies in the hilly Barmal Valley connecting South Waziristan district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan’s Paktika province, was closed in 2023 due to security concerns. Its reopening is expected to relieve pressure on the Torkham border in Khyber district, currently the busiest route between the two countries but often plagued by congestion and long delays.
Analysts say the decision underscores Pakistan’s efforts to expand regulated trade with Afghanistan, which remains one of its top export markets despite frequent border disruptions. Official figures place current bilateral trade at around $800–900 million annually, though business leaders estimate volumes could rise to $3–4 billion if crossings are streamlined and incentives provided.
Saif-u-Rehman, president of the South Waziristan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the reopening would significantly revive trade and employment.
