Independent Report
Quetta: Senior central leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and former Speaker of the Assembly Malik Sikandar Khan has described border trade as the backbone of Balochistan’s economy, warning that continued restrictions and closures are pushing thousands of families toward unemployment and poverty.
In a statement on the prevailing border trade situation, Malik Sikandar Khan said that economic opportunities in Balochistan were already scarce, with a large segment of the population directly dependent on cross-border trade for survival. He warned that shutting down legal trade routes was aggravating economic hardship and creating conditions of hunger and deprivation.
He said that internationally, border regions were used to promote lawful trade, employment and regional development, but in the local context, legitimate economic activity was being wrongly termed as smuggling and restricted. Such policies, he said, were unjust and harmful to ordinary citizens.
The JUI leader stressed that border trade should be acknowledged as a lawful and legitimate source of livelihood, adding that issues related to trade could be resolved through proper regulation, facilitation and transparent mechanisms rather than blanket bans.
Highlighting the province’s economic challenges, he said Balochistan lacked sufficient industries and employment opportunities, and further curbs on border trade would deepen public frustration and a sense of deprivation.
Malik Sikandar Khan reaffirmed that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam would continue its constitutional and democratic struggle for the protection, restoration and promotion of border trade, particularly at the Chaman border, and would raise the economic concerns of the people at all relevant forums.
