ISLAMABAD: A massive sit-in protest against the government’s recent decision mandating a valid passport and visa for crossing the border point from November 1, 2023 entered its 49th day on Thursday in Chaman, Balochistan on the Chaman-Kandahar highway.
Workers and supporters of various political parties and organisations of local traders are participating in the sit-in which began on 20th October 2023 and has strangled bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, including transit trade.
In October this year, the government’s apex committee decided that the current system under which individuals can cross the border using the Afghan national identity card or Tazkira would be replaced and aligned with border-crossing regulations observed with other countries. Following the decision, it was made mandatory to have a valid passport and visa for crossing the border.
The decision was rejected by the locals associated with the trade on both sides of the border and since then, political parties including Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Balochistan Awami Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Jamaat-i-Islami, Awami National Party (ANP), Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), PML-Q, and trade organisations, began a sit-in protest on the Chaman-Kandahar highway demanding a reversal of the new border crossing arrangements.
People from both sides of the border not only engage in trade on a daily basis but many also own land on both sides of the Durand Line, and the decision to enforce passport and valid visas for the border crossing would cripple the livelihood of our people, locals told Business Recorder.
Faheem Marwat, provincial leader of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party maintained that the protesters are fully justified from an economic standpoint to demand that the government revert to the old border crossing regulations.
There is no other means of livelihood Marwat contended, as there is no factory in the border district of Chaman, which has a population of more than half a million. About 70 percent of the people along the border are engaged in trade and do business in Chaman’s markets, he added.
He further stated that Chaman hosts temporary markets, showrooms of vehicles and their spare parts, used tires, and dry fruits. Afghans come to Chaman to sell various goods in the temporary marker and return to Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak in the evening.
He added that the protest began on 20th October, and the same evening the sit-in began on the Pakistan-Afghan highway between Bab Dosti and Chaman city.
While there has been no further effort from the government side to negotiate with the protesters following failure of initial talks, the provincial government of Balochistan arrested PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen in Chaman on December 4, who was on his way to address the participants of the sit-in.
Provincial police accused Pashteen’s security guard of opening fire at police prior to registration of an FIR against him. However, PTM rejected the charge against its chief and termed the arrest as part of a continued crackdown against the party workers to silence dissenting voices.
Caretaker Provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai was not available for comments and did not respond to queries by Business Recorder till the filing of this report.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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