Pakistan Unveils Phased Plan to Resume Afghan Transit Trade Amid Fragile Truce
KARACHI — Pakistan has outlined a phased plan to gradually resume Afghan transit trade through the Chaman border, days after cross-border clashes halted movement and strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul.
The Directorate of Transit Trade announced a three-stage cargo clearance process aimed at restoring normal operations while maintaining security oversight.
In the first phase, nine vehicles turned back following the closure of the Bab-e-Dosti crossing will be cleared. The second phase will process 74 trucks that had returned from the NLC terminal, and the final phase will allow 217 stranded vehicles parked at the halting yard to proceed into Afghanistan.
Customs authorities confirmed that official directives for the gradual reopening have been issued, starting with the Chaman route — a vital artery for Afghan trade and regional connectivity.
Trade officials in Chaman said hundreds of cargo trucks remain stranded due to the prolonged suspension, including over 370 vehicles scattered across Balochistan and 300 more at local terminals. Additionally, more than 500 freight vehicles and 150 trucks involved in Central Asian transit trade await clearance.
The phased resumption follows weeks of deadly border clashes that erupted after Taliban militants, alongside affiliated groups, launched attacks on Pakistan Army posts on October 12. The skirmishes left 23 Pakistani soldiers martyred and more than 200 Taliban fighters killed, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Pakistan responded with precision strikes inside Afghanistan, targeting militant hideouts in Kandahar and Kabul provinces. A temporary ceasefire, brokered at Kabul’s request, took effect on October 15 and was later extended.
Mediated by Qatar, talks between Pakistani and Afghan delegations yielded an agreement on a “complete and meaningful” ceasefire on Sunday. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif confirmed that the two sides will reconvene in Istanbul on October 25 to discuss long-term border stability and trade normalization.
