Protest against TAD forces Af-Pak trade suspension

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): A protest against newly-enforced travel condition for truckers has forced the suspension of trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan via the Torkham crossing.

The bilateral trade came to a halt on Monday when truckers and customs clearing agents blocked the road leading to the ‘Zero Point’ to protest the imposition of the Temporary Admission Document condition.

Dawn reported the protesters placed containers on the main road and torched tyres to stop the movement of goods-laden vehicles from both sides of the busy crossing -- a major commercial hub.

The protesters called for immediately retracting the TAD condition for transporters and easing the visa policy for travel between the two countries.

In March this year, the neighbours had agreed to introduce TAD for transporters from both countries without passport and valid visas for cross-border movement.

But the transporters complain they could neither afford the $100 TAD registration fee nor they had any detailed information about the procedure for getting the document.

A protest leader, Qari Nazeem Gul, said their protest would continue till the withdrawal of the TAD condition and facilitation in the speedy clearance of trade goods.

The sit-in and road blockade forced hundreds of drivers to park their trucks on the road. Many drivers feared edibles like fresh fruit, vegetables and poultry products could go rotten.

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