Only Chaman route opened for NATO

THE federal government has reopened only one supply route for the NATO forces – the one via Chaman in Balochistan.

As these routes have been reopened, the interior ministry has expressed its concerns about the security around the Torkhum border area. Concerns were also expressed that even though the government had levied restrictions on the transfer deadly weapons among NATO supplies, such transfers would nevertheless be carried out under the garb of ‘training materiel/supplies for Afghan forces’.

The custom authorities said that separate notifications from the interior ministry and FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) had been received via fax with regards to reopening of the routes.

Sources from the customs department and the interior ministry also pointed out the various routes which could be employed for NATO supplies and indicated that Pakistan is the cheapest one. Compared to any supplies sent by air or via Central Asian States (CAS/Russian) routes, routes through Pakistan were upto five times cheaper and less time consuming to boot.

The other routes through Pakistan includes the one from Karachi passing through Hyderabad, Sukkur, Sadiqabad, Taranda, Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Attock, Peshawar, ultimately leading to the Torkhum border, from where the containers head to the Afghan cities of Jalalabad and Kabul.