PESHAWAR, Sept 6: As no end to military operation in Darra Adamkhel is in sight yet, the continuing closure of the Indus Highway and the Friendship Tunnel has been taking a heavy toll on trade and economic activities in the region for the past nine days.

People going to Peshawar from Kohat or southern parts of the country as far as Karachi and Quetta have to either break their journey for want of transport at Kohat, or if traveling light, they can take one of the three alternative routes to reach their destinations. But, they must have the patience, time and, of course, additional money to deal with the strenuous journey.

And, it is better to remain stranded in Peshawar than to think of going through the ordeal of travelling to Kohat, which is only 64 kilometers south of the provincial metropolis. Normally, the distance between the two cities is covered in maximum one hour by a passenger coach, but now it takes four to five hours to reach either of the cities and that too at the cost of Rs165 more added to the normal fare. The easiest one of the three alternative routes between Peshawar and Kohat is Kohat-Rawalpindi road which crosses the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway at Tarnol interchange. But, this one is the longest route, too. At a good speed, it will take six hours and additional fuel, but saves one lots of huffing and puffing to get to Peshawar using either Kohat-Basal-Attock route or Kohat-Nizampur-Nowshera route. The latter two routes are the most arduous because the single metalled roads zigzagging through tough hilly terrain cannot accommodate heavy traffic.

Passengers traveling between the coastal provinces and the northern parts of the country using the Indus Highway have been hit hard by the closure of the road. Women, children and sick people have been made to suffer untold miseries as they reach Kohat from far off areas.

Most of air-conditioned buses plying on inter-province routes cannot use the Rawalpindi route as they cannot enter the colonial era road-and-rail bridge on the Indus River at Khushal Garh due to their length. The road entrances of the bridge on both sides have sharp bends and are very tricky for drivers of long vehicles to enter it safely. So, all the buses have to take the Kohat-Nizampur-Nowshera road to continue their onward journey.

Similarly, 10-wheel trucks and oil tankers also have to avoid the Khushal Garh bridge, but they suffer many difficulties on the hilly Nizampur track if they carry heavy loads. But, longer trucks, trailers and oil tankers, which transport essential supplies from Karachi and other southern cities to Peshawar and northern parts of the country have to halt their vehicles and cover them with tarpaulins from sun and rain along the Indus Highway near Kohat to wait for re-opening of the road.

Transportation of goods from Peshawar to the southern parts of the province and the tribal belt has also been badly affected by the road closure during the past one week, giving rise to uncertainty among people, transporters and traders alike.

The Indus Highway, one of the most important national highways, was closed at Darra Adamkhel, the famous gun-manufacturing town of Frontier Region of Kohat, for all kinds of vehicular traffic following an attempted suicide attack at the security forces’ base camp near the Friendship Tunnel and blowing up of two bridges along the road in Darra.

The security forces immediately launched a crackdown and helicopters bombarded militant hideouts in the area. The forces also carried out extensive shelling of mortars and heavy artillery to pound militants’ positions.

The security situation along the road became volatile after militants snatched five trucks full of ammunition from security personnel in Darra Adamkhel earlier this year, and then it became a norm to close the road for security reasons.

As if no light is visible at the end of the tunnel, the provincial government instead of giving a serious thought to resolve the issue and ensure security of life on the road has come up with a ‘novel way’ – close your eyes in the face of imminent danger.

Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the provincial assembly on Thursday that the government was planning to build an alternative road to link southern parts of the country with the provincial capital in the wake of terrorist attacks on Indus Highway in Darra Adamkhel.