WANA   -  Local tribal elites and the president of the Chamber of Commerce have expressed concerns over the prolonged closure of the Angoor Adda Gate, a key commer­cial crossing point, and urged the feder­al government to reopen it for trade and business activities immediately.

Prominent tribal elders of Lower Wa­ziristan, including chief of Ahmadzai Tariq Khan, Malik Baz Gul, Malik Saiful­lah Khan, and president of the Cham­ber of Commerce and Industry Saif-ur-Rahman, along with other business representatives, held a news confer­ence in Wana Bazaar on Monday. The elders expressed their grave concerns over the long closure of the Angoor Adda Gate at the Pak-Afghan border for commercial activities and announced that a Jirga would be held on Tuesday (today) in Raghzai Bazaar.

They informed that thousands of tribesmen are expected to attend the gathering to demand the reopening of the gate, which has been shut for over a year, halting local trade and causing widespread economic distress.

The tribal elders also announced the formation of a committee compris­ing local political leaders, union repre­sentatives, shopkeepers, and owners of showrooms and petrol pumps. The committee members will meet with various stakeholders to develop a strat­egy to press the government and rele­vant authorities for the immediate reo­pening of the gate and the resumption of commercial activities in the region.

Additionally, they announced plans for a mass gathering in Wana Bazaar in the coming days under the banner of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe, along with a complete shutter-down of the bazaar, with full participation from the local population. They emphasised the need for unity in their efforts to establish du­rable peace in the region and restore the trade route.

The tribal elders appealed to the people of Wana to join them in the up­coming protest rally and shutter-down strike, aimed at compelling the gov­ernment and relevant authorities to review their decision and restore the centuries-old trade route via the An­goor Adda Gate, thereby revitalising the local economy.