Truck owners seek immediate return of vehicles stranded in Afghanistan

• Thousands of trucks that transported Afghans across border await return. 
• President of KP Mini Mazda Truck Owners Association voices concerns. 
• Gul says Afghan authorities have not permitted return of Pakistani trucks.

The truck owners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have sought immediate return of more than 2,000 vehicles, which have beem stranded in Afghanistan for the past month after transporting Afghan nationals back to their homeland.

President of the KP Mini Mazda Truck Owners Association, Latif Gul, on Friday expressed concern over the matter, saying that the delay in return of the trucks has left hundreds of Pakistani drivers and conductors stuck across the border in difficult conditions.

He said that Afghan authorities have not permitted the return of their vehicles. 

“Our drivers have been away from their homes for a month, while truck owners have already exhausted their earnings in meeting daily expenses,” he added.

Gul noted that delays in border crossing have increased operational costs, resulting in higher fares for Afghanistan-bound vehicles.

He warned that under such conditions, truck owners and drivers would no longer be willing to transport passengers to Afghanistan.

He further cautioned that if the issue is not resolved at the earliest, the association would be compelled to block Ring Road in Peshawar and halt the movement of all containers bound for Afghanistan.

He urged both the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure the immediate repatriation of stranded vehicles and drivers.

Over a million Afghans who were registered as refugees in Pakistan have returned to their country since the government ordered deportations in the wake of rising terrorist incidents in the country.

Pakistan has hosted Afghans for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion to the 2021 Taliban takeover. Some refugees were born and raised there, while others have been awaiting relocation to third countries.

However, Islamabad, citing a rise in militant attacks and insurgent campaigns, launched a crackdown in 2023 to evict Afghans. More than 1.2 million Afghans have since been forced to return, including over 443,000 this year alone, according to the United Nations.

The campaign has most recently targeted an estimated 1.3 million refugees holding UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, with a September 1 deadline set for them to leave or face arrest and deportation.

Afghans awaiting relocation to Germany have reported several police raids on guest houses where German authorities have asked them to stay for months on end while their cases are processed.