KABUL, Afghanistan — More than 1,400 trucks have been stranded at crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan for nearly a week, following the implementation of the Temporary Admission Document (TAD) agreement.
Despite the agreement between Pakistan and the Taliban regarding the TAD for truck drivers, many drivers report severe challenges in obtaining the necessary documentation. Since the TAD’s implementation, over 1,000 trucks have been stuck on both sides of the border.
Some drivers have been stranded at the Torkham crossing for almost a week due to the lack of a TAD. They attribute the delays to a lack of awareness among drivers about the new requirements. “We were transporting sugar from Peshawar and crossed to the other side of Torkham. No one told us anything about the TAD,” said Hamid Hussain Minehwal, one of the drivers. “But later, they started demanding passports and visas; drivers who had visas crossed, and those who didn’t were helped by other drivers who collected money to help them cross the gate.”
Drivers are calling on Pakistan and the Taliban to expedite the TAD process, as many do not have passports and face difficulties in obtaining visas. Some drivers have reported being forced to pay bribes to obtain passports and Pakistani visas. The $100 cost of the TAD has also been a significant burden for many drivers, given their deteriorating economic conditions.
“Our trucks went to Afghanistan, but now the Taliban say that our trucks do not have travel documents, and they have stopped them,” said a businessman affected by the delays.
The current situation follows an agreement reached in March 2024 between the Taliban and Pakistan, which stipulated that trucks without the TAD would be stopped from crossing the border. The deadline for this agreement has expired, leading to the halt of hundreds of trucks carrying fruit and vegetables belonging to Afghan traders at the Torkham, Spin Boldak, and Kharlachi crossings.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) reported that more than 1,400 trucks belonging to Afghan traders are currently stranded at the Torkham crossing.
