Protesters in Khyber district demanded that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi resign over what they called his failure to press for the reopening of the Torkham border with Afghanistan, at a demonstration held at Bacha Khan Chowk in Landi Kotal. The protest, organized by the Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association and a local youth group, Tanzeem-i-Naujawanan, drew representatives from political parties, civil society organizations and tribal elders, according to speakers at the event.
Key Highlights
- Protesters demand KP CM Sohail Afridi’s resignation over Torkham border closure
- Border has remained shut for over 10 months, affecting bilateral trade with Afghanistan
- Speakers say Khyber’s elected representatives, including the chief minister, have failed to raise the issue
- Federal government had spent heavily on a border terminal to boost trade before the closure
- Protesters accuse the provincial government of limiting its response to social media posts
Torkham protesters demand KP chief minister resign over border trade closure https://t.co/XUpDRbsBPg
— Pakistan Today (@ePakistanToday) August 4, 2026
Elected Representatives Accused of Silence
Speakers at the gathering, including Mirajuddin, Hashim Afridi, Shah Faisal Afridi, Shah Hussain Shinwari, Shah Khalid, Murad Hussain, Mujeebullah Shinwari, Maulana Shoeb and Israr Shinwari, argued that Khyber district is not short on political representation. They noted that the district has two senators, a National Assembly member and three provincial assembly members, one of whom serves as a provincial minister, and that Chief Minister Afridi himself hails from the district. Despite that, they said, none of these representatives had pushed effectively for the border’s reopening.
“If the provincial government and our elected representatives have no authority to raise their voices in support of the reopening of the border, they should resign,” the speakers said, according to those present at the protest.
More Than Ten Months of Losses
The speakers said the border has now been closed for over 10 months, a period during which the provincial government and local representatives have stayed largely silent on the toll it has taken on residents connected to cross-border trade. They said the closure has cost hundreds of local laborers and daily wage workers their livelihoods, while the business community and transporters have absorbed significant financial losses.
They also pointed out what they called a contradiction: the federal government had spent millions of rupees building a border terminal at Torkham specifically to expand trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian states, only for the crossing to be shut down “in the name of security” without a political solution to keep bilateral trade moving.
Call to Match Energy Shown on Other Issues
Speakers urged the provincial government to organize protest rallies in support of reopening the border, similar in scale to the rallies it has held for the release of its incarcerated party leader. They further alleged that the provincial government remains unaware of the actual motives and the institution behind the border’s closure, a claim that reflects the frustration voiced at the demonstration rather than a confirmed account of events.
