Traders end 10-month sit-in near Chaman after govt restores old system for Pak-Afghan cross-border trade

Traders have ended their 10-month-long sit-in near the Chaman border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the government reversed the tighter visa regime and restored the old system for cross-border trade, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

According to the agreement, residents of Chaman and Boldak will now be able to cross the border by showing their national identity cards.

The former provincial minister Malik Inayatullah Khan Kasi, a political and social figure, told the protestors that the government has accepted the demand of the people of Chaman, and restored the old system on the border.

The government, however, has not officially confirmed the reversal of its October 2023 decision, which required passports and visas for small traders crossing the border daily, aimed at curbing illegal border crossings and trade.

Olus Yar Khan, a spokesman for the sit-in, said the protesters’ demands had been met after nine months of struggle. He recalled that three people lost their lives in firing by security forces during months of protests.

According to Khan, 30,000 to 40,000 people cross the Chaman-Spin Boldak border for business daily.

Last month, tensions escalated in Chaman with violent clashes between security forces and sit-in participants, resulting in injuries to 56 demonstrators and 12 security officials.

Protesters also blocked the Quetta-Chaman National Highway, disrupting Afghan transit trade and other traffic for a month.

Chaman, located in Balochistan, is the second busiest border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, following Torkham in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Reporter: Najeeb Ullah Achakzai