Business leaders have urged the Pakistani government to open Ghulam Khan and Kharlachi crossings for full trade activities with Afghanistan.
Excessive transport burden at the Torkham post would ease considerably if trade via the two crossings was allowed, they said in a joint statement.
The call was issued by Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Coordinator Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi and ex- senior vice president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Engr. Manzoor Elahi.
Due to the closure of the Chaman crossing for the last three months and limited operations via Ghulam Khan and Kharlachi, much of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has shifted to Torkham.
Excessive transportation of goods through Torkham to Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs) had led to prolonged travel duration of trucks from 10 days to around a month and a half, they said.
Additionally, they said, transportation charges of trucks had also sharply increased due to the prolonged travel duration. It was almost impossible for businessmen to bear the expenses, they added.
Sarhadi said a truck carrying goods to Afghanistan returned to Pakistan after 45 days and the owners preferred transportation within the country.
He said the Kharlachi point was used only for import and export operations, not for the transportation of transit trade items. The Ghulam Khan gate remains open only for a few hours.
In a situation like this, he explained, the burden had shifted to Torkham, resulting in traffic congestion, prolonged travel duration and a huge hike in transportation charges.
Both Sarhadi and Manzoor proposed shifting the entry of trucks carrying soapstone and coal from Afghanistan to Kharlachi and Ghulam Khan.
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