The Chaman sit-in has entered its third month, protesting against the new passport policy known as the “one document regime” implemented by the interim government on the Pakistan-Afghan border. Protesters demand that the Pakistani government to reverse the decision to mandate passports for border crossings and instead permit the border population to utilise the previous way of using CNIC or Afghan Tazkera for Chaman border crossing. 

This new policy, which came into effect on October 3, has created stress among the local population because the majority of those in the sit-in are daily wagers whose income is dependent on the border due to a lack of alternative employment opportunities in region. According to report, about ten thousand people cross the border each morning and return in the evening.

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The protesters argue that the government’s restrictions have destroyed their livelihoods and made thousand their people unemployed. They have accused the current interim government of committing economic genocide and have declared to keep the sit-in going until their demands are satisfied.