ISLAMABAD: Sources within the federal government in Islamabad say that the closure of the Torkham border has caused Afghanistan a loss of 45 million dollars in just one month, while Pakistan had been suffering an annual loss of 3.42 trillion rupees due to smuggling carried out under the cover of Afghan Transit Trade.
According to officials, the suspension of trade with Afghanistan has had almost no impact on the daily life of ordinary Pakistanis.
They added that Pakistan’s decision to close the Afghan border on 11 October 2025 was not a reactionary move, but a step towards reforming the trade system.
Pakistan shut down all routes that were being used for smuggling, drugs, illegal weapons, and terrorism.
Security officials reveal that 70 to 80 percent of Afghanistan’s trade depends on Pakistani roads and ports. Goods sent to Afghanistan through Karachi reach in 3 to 4 days, whereas via Iran the same goods take 6 to 8 days.
If the Central Asian route is used, shipments headed to Afghanistan could take more than 30 days to arrive.
For years, goods meant for Afghan Transit Trade were being smuggled back into Pakistan.
Reports show that Pakistan was losing 3.4 trillion rupees annually due to this smuggling, and nearly 1 trillion rupees worth of transit goods would illegally re-enter Pakistan, adding to the economic damage.
The closure of the Torkham border alone caused Afghanistan a 45-million-dollar loss in one month.
Within just a few weeks, the total losses from the shutdown of all routes exceeded 200 million dollars.
More than 5,000 trucks were stranded, and Afghan crops and fruits waiting for Pakistani markets either spoiled or had to be sold within Afghanistan at extremely low prices.
It is worth mentioning that all the corridors of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were closed as a result of the strain between the two countries after the forces of the both sided clashed in the start of October.
