KP Government Writes to Centre Over Closure of Pak-Afghan Border, Seeks Urgent High-Level Meeting

Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has written a letter to the federal government over the continued closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, raising serious concerns and making a major demand to address the issue.

Provincial Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, in a letter to Federal Minister for Commerce Jamal Kamal, warned that the prolonged border closure is having severe negative impacts on revenue, the economy, and employment in the province.

In the letter, Muzammil Aslam stated that the continued suspension of trade at the Pak-Afghan border has led to alarming economic consequences. He noted that Infrastructure Development Cess (IDC) collections have reportedly declined by nearly 80 percent due to the border closure.

The finance adviser said that cross-border trade has been badly disrupted, bringing commercial activities to a near standstill and adversely affecting traders, exporters, and workers dependent on border trade.

He also attached a letter from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) regarding the sharp decline in tax collections.

Highlighting the broader economic context, Muzammil Aslam said the situation is particularly worrying as Pakistan is already facing falling exports, slowing economic growth, and increasing unemployment.

The KP finance adviser demanded that an urgent high-level meeting be convened to address the issue. He called for the participation of relevant federal and provincial stakeholders to deliberate on the revenue implications for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the challenges being faced by exporters and traders due to the border closure.