ISLAMABAD: The recent border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan have brought bilateral trade to a standstill as thousands of traders remain stranded and goods worth millions stuck at key crossings for a second day on Monday, traders said, with stakeholders and experts calling for a dialogue to defuse tensions between the neighbors.
The fighting began Saturday night, when Afghan forces struck multiple Pakistani military posts. Afghanistan officials claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in response to what they said were repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace.
Pakistan’s military gave lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” during retaliatory fire along the border. Foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, China and Russia, expressed concern and urged restraint as a ceasefire appeared to be holding.
Pakistan has closed all eight border crossing points with Afghanistan after the clashes along the 2,611-kilometer border, leading to the formation of long queues of vehicles carrying hundreds of tons of perishable goods.
“The border closure is not only hurting Pakistan-Afghanistan trade but also affecting exports to Central Asia, causing daily losses of millions of dollars,” Junaid Ismail Makda, president of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), told Arab News.
