Pak-Afghan highway reopens after 65-day closure

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): The Pak-Afghan highway has reopened after more than two months of closure, bringing a sigh of relief to travellers and businesspeople.

Backed by different political parties, Kukikhel tribesmen called off their protest after the government promised the early return of over 60,000 internally displaced families to their homes in Khyber district.

The agreement came at a meeting between Kukikhel elders and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in Peshawar on Wednesday.

Due to the 65-day road blockade, residents, traders and shopkeepers in Landikotal, Torkham and Shalman faced problems. Trade with Afghanistan also came to a halt, resulting in massive losses for businesspeople.

Previously, several rounds of negotiations between the protesting tribesmen, government and military officials had ended on an unsuccessful note.

After Wednesday’s meeting tribal elder Malik Naseer said they had reached an agreement with the government, which pledged to send the IDPs back to the Tirah valley in six months.

The registration of the displaced people would begin next week and IDPs would be allowed to return to their homes in Tirah after the winter, he added.

With the lifting of the blockade, hundreds of passenger coaches and goods-laden trucks resumed their journey on both sides the Pak-Afghan highway.

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