PESHAWAR: All Pakistan Markets Central President Malik Soni has said that thousands of people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have become unemployed due to the closure of the Pak-Afghan border, while the government is losing billions of rupees in taxes every day.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the All Pakistan Markets union president, Malik Soni, said that due to the closure of Pak-Afghan bilateral trade for the past one month, vehicles loaded with vegetables, fruits and other agricultural commodities have been damaged at the border, causing billions of rupees in losses to importers, exporters and middlemen.
Malik Soni said that they recognised the role of the Pakistan Army and stand by it; However, the closure of borders had left thousands of families without food. He said that despite the lack of political relations in many countries of the world, trade routes remain open, so Pakistan should also maintain trade relations with Afghanistan.
He stated that the border closure had led to a shortage of food items and an increase in inflation. According to him, when the borders were open, some officials of the FBR, Customs, and Excise collected illegal bribes from vehicles despite clearance, because they knew that the goods would spoil if they arrived late.
Malik Soni demanded that the federal government immediately allow the Pakistani convoy in Afghanistan, in which hundreds of vehicles are loaded with agricultural commodities, to enter Pakistan.
He added that when some tribes block the roads, we lose billions of rupees, but when we block the road for an hour in protest, an FIR is registered against us.
Finally, he expressed the hope that the central government, keeping in mind the difficulties of the people, middlemen and business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will open the Pak-Afghan borders for trade as soon as possible so that the closed stoves of the people can be lit again and the unemployed can get employment.
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