Pak: Torkham border closure leaves Daily-Wage workers and porters in acute financial distress

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], December 30 : Numerous daily-wage workers and porters in the area are experiencing severe distress due to the ongoing closure of the Torkham border point, resulting in significant financial difficulties after losing their part-time jobs, as reported by Dawn.

With no immediate resolution to border security and terrorism-related concerns in sight, many of these labourers are believed to be seeking employment in Punjab and Sindh, while others have resorted to borrowing money from family and friends to cover their expenses. They are so financially strained that they have ceased sending their children to school, which adds to their suffering.

Some jobless daily-wagers and porters are reportedly turning to drugs to cope with their mental stress. Mansoor Ali shared that poverty compelled him to drop out of his FSc computer science programme midway and start transporting luggage for Afghan and Pakistani individuals between the border point and the taxi stand for minimal pay. The 24-year-old, who has been married for just eight months, expressed that sleepless nights filled with overwhelming mental stress have followed him since he lost his job because of the border closure, according to Dawn.

He mentioned spending hours in his small room contemplating his future, as both Pakistani and Afghan authorities have overlooked his and others' financial struggles. The worker also longed to resume his studies and pursue a career in computer science, but financial limitations prevented him from realising his aspirations. He indicated that he had already borrowed thousands of rupees from relatives to help manage his family's day-to-day expenses, as cited by the Dawn report.

Farman Ali Shinwari, a representative of the Torkham Labourers and Porters Association, expressed concerns that unemployed youth might be drawn into extremist groups looking to exploit the vulnerable conditions of such disheartened individuals. He mentioned that the current circumstances had driven jobless youth to "revive" long-standing family and property disputes as they languished idle at home for days and weeks, becoming confrontational.

"We also worry that some young tribesmen may end up becoming drug dealers since narcotics traffickers offer them attractive pay," he stated.

The challenges faced by these daily workers, who mostly lack skills, began in 2016 when Pakistan implemented a visa policy for all Afghan and Pakistani nationals travelling through the Torkham border. Approximately 8,000 local and Afghan labourers and porters have long been requesting permission from Pakistani security and immigration officials for unrestricted cross-border movement but have had to comply with new visa regulations, as reported by Dawn.

Farman Shinwari noted that most Afghan labourers are stranded on the other side of the border, while local labourers have gradually obtained their national passports and visas, albeit at a cost that exceeds their financial means.

Israr Shinwari, head of a local youth organisation that assists with the legal and economic challenges faced by labourers, stated that the number of these workers, including over 100 individuals with disabilities, has dwindled to 2,000. "No one is willing to provide even manual work to these individuals who are already grappling with financial hardships," he remarked, as quoted in the Dawn report.

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