Chaman border closed for the third day
Chaman border closed for the third day
Our Reporter
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QUETTA: The international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed at Chaman suspending all contacts between the two countries for the third day on Sunday. The trades and business people claimed huge losses as a result of closure of the borders.

QUETTA: The international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed at Chaman suspending all contacts between the two countries for the third day on Sunday. The trades and business people claimed huge losses as a result of closure of the borders.

Sunday was weekly day off for both sides of the officials still some people, truck drivers and business people hoped that it might open at any stage providing some relief to the people.

Afghanistan celebrated its independence day on Friday during which some of the Afghan protesters raised slogans against Pakistan and threw some stones close to the Pakistani post as a mark of contempt towards Pakistan and its action to restrict the movement of the people.

There was a long queue of trucks loaded with merchandized—fresh vegetables from Pakistan and fruits from Afghanistan—were found stranded on the international frontier at Chaman for the third day on Sunday.

According to a rough estimate, some 18000 people cross the international frontier daily and they include common people and traders. A sizable number of patients visit nearest Quetta Hospital for treatment.

In cases, smuggling at the border is stopped when the border is closed. There are fewer people involved in formal or legal trade while overwhelming majority was found to be involved in smuggling or informal trade with Pakistan.

Most of the high value goods of the Afghan Transit Trade find a way back to Pakistan for marketing. The value of smuggling of goods is said to be billions of US dollars a year.

There is connivance between the Customs Officials and Afghan smugglers handing over deliveries of goods to people inside Pakistan while on papers it is transferred and handed over in Afghanistan.

The Quetta markets are flooded with smuggled goods almost chased out each and every Pakistani product from the markets in Balochistan making the province as the paradise for the smugglers and the underworld.