ECONOMY — June 19, 2026

Empty Pakistani Containers Allowed to Pass Through Torkham

The Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced the permission, though the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not confirmed it and the action is limited to empty containers without resuming full trade.

The Ehtebar Desk — originates with ToloNews — corroborated by Omid Radio2 min read

Empty Pakistani Containers Allowed to Pass Through Torkham
Image courtesy ToloNews

The Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced that empty Pakistani containers stuck at the Torkham border crossing have been permitted to pass through to Pakistan. The transfer process is now underway after the containers had been held for several months due to the border closure. Reports differ on the exact duration, with some indicating nearly nine months.

This permission is limited to empty containers and does not represent a full resumption of trade and transit. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce welcomed the move. An economic expert and drivers described it as positive and called for separating politics from trade while promoting goodwill between the two countries.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not yet confirmed the development.

Read the original reporting at ToloNews

Reliability assessment

Two independent outlets corroborate the core event via direct attribution to a named Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce official; the verifiable fact is the chamber's announcement and permission for container movement.

The source language reads straight.

Across the newsrooms

Where reports agree

  • Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced permission for empty containers to cross at Torkham
  • Containers were stuck due to prior border closure
  • This is a partial/stepwise measure rather than full trade normalization

Where reports differ

  • Duration containers were stuck: 'several months' (Omid Radio) vs 'nearly 9 months' (ToloNews)
  • Specific number of containers reported only by ToloNews (800-1,500)

Filed by 2 outlets

Filed under

EconomyTorkham, Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce, Afghanistan-Pakistan trade, border crossing

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