Pak-Afghan trade halt cuts jobs for drivers and daily wagers
Nearly a year of Pak-Afghan border trade disruption has pushed container shipping toward $10,000 and left drivers, daily-wage workers and fruit exporters without steady work.
Main Pakistan-Afghanistan trade crossings have been closed since October 2025 amid clashes and rising tensions.
A container from Karachi to Afghanistan that once cost about $2,000 in roughly 10 days can now cost up to $10,000 and take as long as two months on detours.
Traders say thousands of workers have lost livelihoods, including daily-wage labourers, truck drivers, transport firms and customs agents.
Pakistani shipments of cement, medicines, flour and rice to Afghanistan have been hurt, while Afghan fruit exporters face spoilage and thinner margins.
Only 11,592 Afghan transit containers, worth about $367 million, moved through the route in the 2025-26 financial year.