Historical Dorah Pass set to reopen on Aug 7th
Report: Muhammad Amin
GARAM CHASHMA: The strategic and historical Dorah Pass from Shah Salim to Badakhshan province of Afghanistan is set to reopen after about 19 years, Union Council (UC) Lotkoh Nazim Muhammad Hussain told ChitralToday.
The government has also decided to reopen the Arandu-Dok Alam road to connect to Afghanistan in the southwest of Chitral.
The Dorah Pass road used to be an important transit route between the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia since time immemorable.
Trade caravans used to traverse the route from Central Asia towards the subcontinent and onward to other countries.
In 1979 when the then Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, this route became one of the busiest for movement of Afghan refugees into Pakistan.
Geo-politically, this route also provided the shortest link between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics. But the road was closed for all kinds of traffic by the government of Pakistan due to security situation in Afghanistan after 2000.
The reopening of the historical pass indicates an improved law and order situation in the country.
The road will officially be reopened on Aug 7 in Garam Chashma in the presence of the representatives of FBR and other department.
In the winters, people of Chitral used to travel through the Arandu-Dok Alam route to reach Peshawar before the construction of the Lowari Pass. However, this route was closed in 2008 when the tunnel was constructed.
At least the province of Badakhshan should be all over open for Chitralis as in past without passport Visa bothering. They may do security checking and identification. Thousands of Badakhshis grew up from infancy to manhood here and still we do not enjoy only an open visit. Chitralis are people well known to Badakhshis but regulations are made so strict for own people in our country just as you may see Chinese roaming here openly but we are not allowed because of our weak diplomacy. My I sacrifice a Turkic Ram on Major Eid.
It’s a great news for us, Chitralis in general and Lotkohis in particular. No doubt, an open border will have inherent risks associated with it. but that should not be the sole reason to close the border for trade and transit.
A a school student, I remember the days when ShahSalim had become a business hub. Out of the 65 household my small village, about 13 people had shops , restaurants and other businesses in ShahSalim. Local fruits, apple and apricots etc were being sold in ShahSalim with moderate prices. Local driver community were earning excellent remuneration. Bakhta,/dumba, Qalin, and other Afghan products were available in local market in abundance.
These are just few examples. All direct /indirect benefits of an open border and associated trade /transits is besides..
So we should mitigate all risks with all possible means, but closing border should not the option.
It’s going to be different this time, it won’t be an open border like it used to be in the past. There would be security checking and border management system on both system, people will be allowed to travel after thorough checking and documentation. Let’s hope for the best.