Closed by snowfall, Anjuman Pass reopens for traffic

FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): A key pass in the Kiran Wa Manjan district of northeastern Badakhshan province has reopened for traffic, officials said on Saturday.

Maulvi Naqibullah Furqani, head of the engineering department of the Panjsher Brigade, said the Anjuman Pass reduced the distance between Badakhshan and Kabul by 250 kilometres.

The pass was usually remains closed by heavy snowfall, avalanches and narrowness of the road in winter, but engineering department personnel reopened it only in three days.

In a week, engineering department workers cleared the route from Anjuman Pass to the Abe Guman area of Panjsher’s Parian district, the official added.

The route is mostly used by heavy trucks carrying food, fuel and other items such as construction explosives from Kabul to Kiran Wa Manjan district.

Meanwhile, residents expressed their pleasure over the pass reopening. They said they faced difficulties in the past due the blockade of the pass and the hike in food prices.

Sayed Abdullah, a resident of Kiran Wa Manjan, said, the pass usually remained closed for almost six months every year in winter, but the personnel of the engineering department managed to reopen it only in three days.

He suggested Islamic Emirate officials keep some of machinery in the area for to prevent possible closures in the future.

Residents acknowledge the reopening of the route has helped a lot in lowering travel fares and transporting patients to Kabul and Faizabad.

aw/mud