Over 1,400 trucks have been left stranded at various crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan for nearly a week, as complications surrounding the recently implemented Temporary Admission Document (TAD) agreement continue to cause delays, Amu reported.
The TAD, agreed upon by Pakistan and the Taliban, was intended to streamline cross-border trade by requiring truck drivers to obtain specific documentation. However, since its implementation, drivers have reported challenges in securing the necessary paperwork, leading to a backlog of over 1,000 trucks stuck on both sides of the border.
The most affected area is the Torkham crossing, where some drivers have been stranded for almost a week. Many drivers have expressed frustration, citing a lack of awareness about the new requirements as a major factor contributing to the delays.
"We were transporting sugar from Peshawar and crossed to the other side of Torkham. No one told us anything about the TAD," said Hamid Hussain Minehwal, one of the stranded drivers. "But later, they started demanding passports and visas; drivers who had visas crossed, and those who didn’t were helped by other drivers who collected money to help them cross the gate."
The drivers are now urging both Pakistan and the Taliban to expedite the TAD process. Many of them lack passports and face difficulties in obtaining visas, leading to additional complications. Reports have also emerged of drivers being forced to pay bribes to acquire passports and Pakistani visas, adding to their financial burden. The $100 cost of the TAD has further exacerbated the situation, particularly for drivers already struggling with deteriorating economic conditions.
"Our trucks went to Afghanistan, but now the Taliban say that our trucks do not have travel documents, and they have stopped them," lamented a businessman impacted by the delays.
This situation is the result of an agreement reached in March 2024 between the Taliban and Pakistan, which mandated that trucks without the TAD would be prohibited from crossing the border. The deadline for this agreement has expired, resulting in the stoppage of hundreds of trucks transporting fruit and vegetables for Afghan traders at the Torkham, Spin Boldak, and Kharlachi crossings.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) has confirmed that more than 1,400 trucks belonging to Afghan traders are currently stranded at the Torkham crossing, with no clear resolution in sight. The ongoing delays are causing significant economic hardship for traders and drivers alike, as the backlog continues to grow.
Pakistan closed all commercial truck crossings with Afghanistan on August 1, leaving trucks loaded with goods stranded on both sides of the border due to the absence of required "temporary entry permits" for transit. The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment reports that Pakistani authorities have refused to allow passage for trucks that possess the necessary permits.
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