Karachi, Dec. 5 — Dozens of Pakistani truck drivers carrying goods to Afghanistan have been stranded for weeks at major border crossings as a widening standoff has choked regional trade. Hundreds of vehicles remain parked at frontier points, with drivers reportedly lacking food, cash and shelter and struggling in harsh conditions, local media say.
Exporters and logistics firms report that the halt in cross-border traffic has effectively stopped shipments of Pakistani kinnow and other cargo destined for Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. The closures, imposed since October 11, followed intense clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces — the most serious confrontations since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 — after Islamabad accused Kabul of failing to rein in militants based on its territory.
Junaid Makda, president of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said kinnow growers, freight handlers and logistics companies are among the hardest hit, with perishable fruit rotting at border sites. The suspension comes at the peak season for kinnow exports, he warned, causing financial strain across the supply chain from farmers to transporters.
Makda also criticised the State Bank of Pakistan for rejecting a proposal to exempt kinnow consignments routed via Iran to Iran and Central Asian markets from onerous financial requirements. Pakistan exported about USD 110 million worth of kinnow last year; earnings this season are now expected to drop to roughly USD 100 million because of the disruption.
Thousands of containers carrying bilateral and regional cargo are stalled across Pakistan. Traders and clearing agents face daily demurrage charges of about USD 150–200 per container, a burden Makda urged authorities to waive immediately to prevent small businesses and exporters from collapsing.
The border impasse has broader economic and humanitarian consequences: stranded drivers, perishable losses, mounting storage and penalty costs, and a significant slowdown in commerce linking Pakistan with neighboring markets. Authorities and industry representatives have called for urgent measures to restore cross-border flows and ease the financial pressures on affected firms and workers.
