Villagers along Pak-Afghan border starving, says Pak official

Khost [Afghanistan], October 29 (ANI): The closure of the route along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the tribal region of Parachinar has left the people of the border villages starving.

The villagers along the Durand Line in Kurram Agency are starving, Khaama Press reported, quoting an official in the tribal regions of Pakistan as saying.

According to local media reports, Trade Union president Masaaib Hussain said the residents of the border villages relied on the income from trade and other activities at the border and such sanctions, if continued, would add to their suffering.

The Kurram political administration had announced shutting of the Durand Line crossing on October 15 after an IED attack that killed four paramilitary troops.

President of all transport association Rauf Hussain has urged to re-open the border and let the trade resume between the two countries to minimise the suffering of those dependent on the income from trade, local media reported.

The Durand Line cuts through the Pashtun tribal areas and further south through the Balochistan region, politically dividing ethnic Pashtuns, as well as the Baloch and other ethnic groups living on both sides of the border.

Although the Durand Line is recognised internationally as the western border of Pakistan, it remains largely unrecognised in Afghanistan. (ANI)