FAIZABAD: Local authorities in Badakhshan province have announced the completion of a strategic 194-kilometre road linking Panjshir province to Shah Salim Zero Point in Chitral via the Zebak district of Afghanistan.
According to Hafiz Mawlawi Naqibullah Furqani, head of engineering at the Extraordinary Division of the Afghan Ministry of National Defense, the road construction project began with the support of relevant government agencies.
The newly-built section spans 175 kilometres in length and 12 metres in width, connecting the Toopkhana area of Zebak district with the Pakistan border at Shah Salim in Chitral.
Furqani emphasized that the project was undertaken to establish a shorter transit route for trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The construction was completed within ten months.
Engineer Zabihullah Amiri, head of Information and Culture in Badakhshan, hailed the project as a major step forward for Afghanistan’s transit and trade infrastructure.
He stated that with the road now complete, northeastern, eastern and central provinces of Afghanistan will be more efficiently connected, enabling faster transportation of goods to and from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, residents of Zebak district have welcomed the road project and expressed their hope that the Toopkhana-Shah Salim border crossing will soon be officially opened for trade and transit. They have urged the Islamic Emirate to operationalize the border point alongside the road’s inauguration.
The new route is expected to boost regional trade, reduce transportation time and costs, and strengthen economic ties between Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, particularly the Chitral region.