LANDIKOTAL: Situation of heavy rush and traffic jam has arisen during the process of repatriation of Afghan refugees residing at the Pak-Afghan border crossing ‘Torkham’.
The miles-long queues of vehicles at the border and the heavy rush of refugees have not only increased the difficulties for travelers, but the local population of Landi Kotal and the surrounding areas is also suffering greatly.
According to Syed Haroon Shinwari’s report, the queues of vehicles and trucks carrying Afghan refugees at the border have reached Landi Kotal Bazaar, due to which the traffic system on the Silk Road (Pak-Afghan Highway) has been severely disrupted.
The passengers waiting at the border, which includes a large number of women, children and the elderly, are not provided with basic facilities like drinking water, food and toilets. The wait that lasts for hours and sometimes days has doubled their hardships.
According to sources, the movement of vehicles is slow due to processing delays and lack of space on the Afghan side, that is why these long queues are forming at the Pakistani border.
The residents of Landi Kotal and local traders are in deep distress. Due to the traffic jam, there are difficulties in transferring local patients to the hospital, while business activities have also been badly affected.
The passengers say that they are going back to their homes, but the long wait at the border has badly affected them. On the other hand, the local administration maintains that they are making every effort to improve security and administrative matters, but the sudden surge in traffic at the border is putting pressure on the arrangements.
According to administrative authorities, the border crossing has been opened on a limited scale so that the process of returning illegal residents can be completed in an orderly manner. Authorities have deployed additional personnel to control the flow of traffic, but it is taking time to restore full flow due to the large number of vehicles.
The situation at the Torkham border is becoming a humanitarian crisis. Local political and social leaders have demanded that the government urgently improve the facilities for passengers at the border and instruct security authorities to implement alternative routes or a ‘traffic management plan’ to ensure traffic flow.
The eyes of residents and travelers on both sides of the border are now focused on when this return process will reach its logical conclusion without any obstacles and when the region will return to normal.
Read also:PHC grants relief to Afghan widow and her children in Pakistani citizenship case
