Quetta, Jan 3 (NationPress) The province of Punjab in Pakistan is currently grappling with a significant economic downturn attributed to the extended closure of its border crossings with Afghanistan. Monthly financial losses have been estimated to exceed 80 billion Pakistani rupees, as reported by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday.

LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol highlighted that the ongoing closure of trade routes has substantially hindered bilateral commerce, particularly affecting the cement and agricultural chemicals industries. He noted that the closure of all major trade routes followed the border clashes in October 2025, which halted cross-border trade, according to the Balochistan Post.

“The halt in trading activities has not only harmed the economies of both nations but also jeopardized the livelihoods of thousands of traders on either side of the border,” stated Saigol.

According to sources from LCCI, nearly 3,000 traders are stranded due to these border restrictions, comprising approximately 1,200 Pakistani and 1,800 Afghan traders.

Reports indicate that a large quantity of fresh and dry fruits, as well as other food items from Afghanistan, are decaying in trucks stationed at border points, leading to substantial financial losses.

Saigol emphasized that Pakistan’s agricultural and industrial exports are heavily reliant on the Afghan border, which also acts as a vital transit route to Central Asian nations. “The trade halt is intensifying economic stress. Income levels are declining, inflation is escalating, and both the public and investors are becoming increasingly uneasy,” he remarked.

In response to the border closures, residents involved in trade in Balochistan’s Turbat organized a protest on Thursday against the closure of the Abdoi border crossing with Afghanistan, asserting that the actions of the Pakistani government have deprived them of their primary income source.

The demonstration, led by border movement activist Sardar Wali Yalanzai, began at Ghulam Nabi Chowk and concluded at Shaheed Fida Chowk, where protesters voiced their grievances against the government and characterized the restrictions as an “economic blockade.”

The protesters expressed that the prolonged closure has inflicted economic damage in the region, where cross-border fuel and goods trading is the main income source.

Yalanzai and other speakers accused authorities of providing traders with “false hopes” by repeatedly stating that the crossing would reopen “today or tomorrow.”