Afghan truck driver arrested for heroin seizure, colleagues protest at Wagah

Amritsar: Cross-border traders, especially those importing coal and dry fruits from Afghanistan, have suffered a setback after truck drivers from the strife-torn nation refused to go to India after one of their colleagues, a father of three, was arrested in India over the seizure of heroin from his truck on October 4.
The president of Integrated Check Post (ICP) Chamber of Commerce, Mohit Khanna, informed the strike by Afghan truck drivers on the Pakistan side of the border was getting worse and was causing huge losses to traders in India.
He informed the truck drivers had first protested at Wesh-Chaman international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan where over 100 trucks carrying fresh and dry fruit were parked in protest and now they were holding protests at Wagah (Pakistan) international border. “However, today, they allowed fresh fruit trucks to cross the border,” he said. On October 3, the BSF arrested an Afghan truck driver after seizing 435 grams of heroin concealed in his truck. Abdul Wassay of Balochistan was handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau. Sources said Afghan truck drivers at Wagah claimed that the contraband didn’t belong to Abdul, but was concealed in his truck by Pakistani smugglers “like they do for shipments going to India, where there asspciates retrieve the contraband”.
To generate emotional support for him, Abdul’s collegaues circulated one of his pictures on social media wherein he is seen sitting with his three young daughters.