Overview
- Taliban directives keep Torkham and Chaman shut with no reopening timeline, leaving roughly 5,500 Afghan transit containers stuck, including 729 at Chaman, 142 at Torkham, and about 4,650 at sea or in Karachi.
- Pakistan has halted Afghan-origin fruit routed through Iran, rejecting a 23-tonne consignment over concerns that Iranian produce could enter under Afghan labels.
- Limited relief measures are in place as Uzbekistan was allowed to airlift five urgent cargoes and reroute 29 containers via China, even as officials say the transit agreement remains in force but processing is on hold.
- Business leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa warn of production cuts, potential factory shutdowns, job losses, and lower FBR revenues as industries such as cement lose access to Afghan coal and raw materials.
- Afghan officials report six-month trade with Iran at $1.6 billion versus $1.1 billion with Pakistan, citing Chabahar’s reliability, while traders estimate cross-border closures are costing about $1 million per day.