Thursday, February 12, 2026-Prolonged closures of major border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially at the crucial Torkham trade route, have brought bilateral commerce to a near standstill, crippling economic activity that once sustained millions of people and businesses on both sides of the frontier.
The shutdown, which began amid rising security tensions and clashes between the two countries’ forces, has left thousands of trucks laden with goods stranded for months, including essential items like food, medicines, and construction materials that cannot reach their destinations. Traders and drivers are now pleading for a resolution as losses and supply chain disruptions mount.
The economic strain is spreading beyond logistics hubs: Pakistan’s export markets and Afghan retail shelves alike are feeling the blow as perishable goods rot and critical supplies fail to move through the traditional overland corridor. Traders say that the closures have inflicted billions of rupees in financial losses, depleted clearing agents’ liquidity, and even reversed long‑standing trade patterns, forcing some businesses to consider alternative and costlier routes through Iran and Central Asia to keep goods moving at all.
Consumers in Afghanistan are already paying the price. Prices for staples, vegetables, and medicines have jumped sharply in eastern provinces dependent on imports through the closed border, exacerbating hardship in a country already grappling with unemployment, delayed salaries, and reduced aid flows. Officials on both sides express concern that unless diplomatic and security disputes are resolved quickly, the prolonged paralysis of this key trade artery could deepen economic woes and widen political rifts that are already affecting regional stability.
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