LANDIKOTAL: Residents, traders and political activists on Tuesday staged a peace march in Landikotal Bazaar, calling for lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the immediate reopening of border crossings.
A large number of residents, businessmen, sportsmen and representatives of political parties participated in the march.The protesters carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans calling for peace with Afghanistan and opposing war between the two neighbouring countries.
Speaking on the occasion, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement Khyber Coordinator Aftab Pashteen, Fakhruddin Shinwari and others said the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan had badly affected people living along the border.
They said all Pak-Afghan border points had remained closed for the past five months, causing trade losses worth billions of rupees to both countries.The speakers said several civilians and soldiers from both sides had lost their lives in recent clashes, while the prolonged closure of the border had created serious economic hardships for residents of the area.
They said thousands of daily wage workers had been deprived of jobs due to the suspension of cross-border trade, while hundreds of shops, hotels, restaurants and offices of customs clearing agents in Landikotal had remained closed.
The speakers said thousands of Afghan citizens, including women, children and elderly men being repatriated, were stranded on the Pakistani side waiting for the reopening of the border.The participants urged the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their issues through dialogue and ensure lasting peace in the region.
It may be mentioned here that tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated after October 11,last year when Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border posts.The incidents of cross-border firing and security tensions led to the repeated closure of the Torkham crossing, a key trade route between the two countries, severely affecting trade and livelihoods in border areas, including Landikotal.
