“A pilgrimage of a life time, Haj is a very key pillar of Islam which dutifies Muslims who are able both in health and wealth to perform at least once in a life by circulating seven times in an act of worship and prostration to Allah the Holy Kaaba, the black cube located at the Center of Mecca built by the Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (Abraham and Ishmael). This year it has come with a bit of trouble for the men and women who visited this site. Particularly the Pakistan-based Afghan nations, who had traveled to Saudi Arabia for Haj from Afghanistan, have marooned by the closure of Pak-Afghan border at Torkhum.

Torkhum border, main route between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been recently closed due to the ongoing operation against terrorist outfits and miscreants in the Khyber Agency of the Tribal belt of Pakistan in order to secure safe passage for goods transportation specifically for NATO’s supply to flow smoothly.

Humayoon, a computer instructor at a local institute had to travel to Jalalabad, the border city of Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan, to welcome his relatives back home from Haj has been unable to report back within the time frame he had applied for. Like him many afghans and Pakistani nationals who reside or work in each other’s country couldn’t make it to see their families for the last one week.

The border closure has caused big problems for the common man who uses it as a route for his livelihood. The transportation agencies are also in the black these days. However, it is hoped that the border route may open after the Muharram Holidays so that the poor people of both sides of the border could visit their families and loved ones. The locals on both sides of the border wish to see it open or an alternate route or schedule be offered to them.