KHYBER: Trade with Afghanistan resumed on Friday when the protesting Khugakhel tribesmen lifted their three-day-long siege of the main road leading to Torkham after successful negotiations with the government officials.

Barkatullah Shinwari, a representative of the protesters, told reporters before the Friday prayers that the official negotiating team accepted their major demands which included signing of an agreement on June 1 regarding realignment and demarcation of the land acquired for construction of a customs terminal, suspension of the construction work at the terminal site till the signing of the agreement and resolving the thorny issue of adequate share in the monthly terminal income.

Earlier, a nine-member Khugakhel negotiating team headed by Mufti Ejaz met with the officials of the Khyber district administration, security forces, NLC and customs.

Hundreds of loaded trucks started moving towards the Torkham border after the announcement about end of the protest.

These trucks and containers remained stranded at various locations during the last three days of road closure.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2021