KHYBER AGENCY – The transport community of Khyber held a protest demonstration on Sunday against the alleged extortion by officials in Afghanistan.
The protest rally was organized under the banner of Khyber Transport Union at Takia, main Pak-Afghan road of tehsil Landi Kotal and hundreds of transporters beside large number of local tribesmen participated in it.
Addressing to the gathering, the union leaders including Shakir Afridi, Attaullah Afridi and Mustaqil Afridi flayed the Afghan officials for their misbehaving towards Pakistani transporters and said from the entry point at Torkham to Kabul, the Afghan official collected illegal Rs 40000 from the Pakistani vehicles while the Afghanistan trucks were exempted of it.
The transporters who refused to pay the money were subjected to physical torture, tore their identity cards and last day an Afghanistan returned driver was admitted to Landi Kotal hospital as the Afghan official had beaten him brutally, they blamed.
Transport is the sole business of tribesmen but officials on both sides of the border tease them on more than two dozen fake checkpoints initiated to receive extortion from them, they alleged.
As per Afghan official sources, “The Pak officials from Karkhano to Torkham border on number of check posts snatched money from Afghan transporters and in return we pay in the same coin to the Pak transporters.”
The transporters warned of wheel jam strike if there grievance was not address till August 25.
The protesters were holding placards and were chanting full-throat slogans against Afghan officials. They dispersed peacefully after filing their agitation. http://nation.com.pk/newspaper-picks/22-Aug-2016/khyber-transporters-protest-extortion-by-afghan-officials
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