Shareefullah Afridi, president of the All Khyber Teachers Association, has called on the government to reopen the Pak-Afghan highway, which has been closed for a week.

Shareefullah said the road blockade led to the closure of all girls’ schools in Landi Kotal and significant disruptions in daily life, including skyrocketing fuel prices and shortages of essential goods.

He said approximately 15,000 female students have been affected as teachers, who commute from Peshawar, are unable to reach their schools. The ongoing Pak-Afghan highway at Bagyarri checkpost has also caused extensive delays for thousands of trucks and has led to severe shortages of food items in the region.

Afridi said that the closure of the Pak-Afghan highway at Bagyarri checkpost, enforced by Kokikhel tribesmen, has disrupted the education of more than 15,000 girls.

The roadblock has also halted all traffic, affecting around 80 percent of female teachers who commute daily from Peshawar to Landi Kotal’s 53 state schools, including primary, middle, high and higher secondary levels.

He said as a result, these schools have remained closed for the past week, depriving students of their education. The impact has extended beyond education, affecting daily life.

Read more:

Malala calls for Pakistan to stop deporting undocumented Afghans

Protest at Torkham border enters second day

Customs arrest govt official at Torkham border with $70,000

He said petrol prices in Landi Kotal have surged to Rs. 320 per liter and a significant scarcity of essential commodities like ghee, cooking oil, sugar and flour in Landi Kotal.

In addition to the fuel price hike and commodity shortages, a tragic incident occurred when a woman, critically injured, died after her vehicle was stuck in the Bagyari sit-in camp on its way to the hospital.

The closure has also severely affected local markets. All markets in Sultankhel, Landi Kotal and Torkham have been shut for a week due to disrupted supply lines.

Thousands of loaded and empty trucks have been stranded on the road including more than 200 trucks carrying tomatoes worth around three million rupees each from Afghanistan. Some trucks, attempting alternative routes through Shalman and Mulagory mountains have overturned, causing further financial losses.

In response to the crisis, a jirga, consisting of Afghanistan Shinwari and Mohmand tribes elders, traders, and influential figures met with Kokikhel tribe elders at the Bagyarri checkpost.

The jirga members have urged the Kokikhel elders to reopen the road to mitigate the severe economic losses estimated to be in the billions of dollars. The situation remains dire, with significant ongoing impact on both the local community and cross-border trade.