Pakistan, Oct 25 : The escalating conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan has crippled cross-border trade, disrupting the supply of essential food items and dealing a severe blow to traders in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK).
For over a week, the movement of trucks carrying fruits and vegetables from Kabul has been halted, cutting off the steady flow of key produce such as tomatoes, onions, pomegranates, grapes, and apples. The blockade has caused large-scale spoilage of perishable goods, triggering a sharp rise in market prices across the region.
“Tomatoes that once sold for PKR 100 per kilogram now cost nearly PKR 500,” said Hamza, a local trader. “The war has completely stopped supplies from Kabul. Grapes and pomegranates are rotting in storage, and we are incurring huge losses every day.”
Traders have also criticized the administration’s price fixing policy, calling it unrealistic. “The government’s fixed rate of PKR 390 per kilogram for tomatoes is meaningless when the actual cost exceeds PKR 650 due to transport disruptions and shortages,” a seller remarked.
Afghan traders, too, are suffering heavy losses as fresh produce lies unsold amid the prolonged border closure. “Every day of the war adds to our losses,” said a trader based in Kabul.
Market experts warn that if the situation persists, Pakistan’s already strained economy could face a deeper food crisis. At the Sabzi Mandi, one of the region’s largest wholesale markets, daily business losses are estimated between PKR 40,000 and PKR 2.5 lakh per trader.
The continuing Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions have thus evolved from a political conflict into a full-blown economic and humanitarian crisis one that is being felt most acutely in homes, markets, and livelihoods on both sides of the divide.