Pak-Afghan highway, breeding ground of terror

Landikotal (Pak), Oct 30: The Pak-Afghan Highway has proved to be unsafe for local dwellers, passengers and transporters from Takhta Bag check-post to Torkham border, in the wake of bomb blasts, suicide attacks, firing and kidnappings. Attacks have mainly taken place on trucks carrying supplies for the US and Afghan troops deployed in Afghanistan to combat Taliban and al Qaeda.

There are seven main check-posts of Khasadar force from Peshawar boundary line to Torkham border besides other points where Khasadars remain on duty for 24 hours. But, unfortunately kidnappers and militants carry out their activities in the broad daylight, rendering the passage unsafe, reported the Daily Times.

According to the paper, businessmen avoid commuting from Peshawar to Landikotal to evade kidnapping or muderous attack, as in the past trucks and trailers loaded with consignments for Afghanistan and US Forces had been hijacked from the same highway.

Transporters said that they have bought the trucks on lease and pay high monthly installments, hence they are compelled to carry consignments to Afghanistan to earn a living, which is, though risky for them.

Most of the government servants have also stopped to attend their duties due to insecurity along the highway, and teachers of Landikotal Degree College have started parking their bus at the college to avoid unsafe travel on the Pak-Afghan highway.

A local official said that the government had decided to deploy few additional platoons of security forces on the Pak-Afghan highway to make it safe and secure for transporters and passengers.

ANI