KP governor offers role in streamlining trade with Afghanistan

PESHAWAR: KP Governor Ghulam Ali has assured the business community to play his role in removing the hurdles to trade with Afghanistan. He said this in a meeting with the delegation of businessmen dealing in trade with Afghanistan.

Coordinator for Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, and Vice-President Shuja Muhammad were leading the delegation. Other members of the delegation were Manzoor Elahi, Imtiaz Ahmad Ali, Farooq Ahmad, Ammar Ansari and Mian Waheed Bacha.

The delegation members apprised the governor of the problems they faced on a daily basis in trade with Afghanistan including import, export and transit one.

After discussion over the issues creating hurdles in smooth trade, it was suggested that a steering committee should be constituted under the chairmanship of private sector stakeholder with representation from Frontier Corps, National Logistic Cell, Afghan Consulate General, Khyber district deputy commissioner and Customs as its members.

The committee should be notified by the governor and meet on a weekly or monthly basis to review the issues pertaining to the Pak-Afghan trade. The committee would work on the pattern of Facilitation Committee formed at Torkham border for holding of meetings of traders and stakeholders from Pakistan and Afghanistan sides on monthly basis.

Earlier, Sarhadi apprised the governor about the working of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry headed by Chairman Zubair Motiwala and President Junaid Makda. He said the chamber was formed around 14 years ago and had around 400 members. The Executive Body comprises 22 members, 11 each from Pakistan and Afghanistan, added Sarhadi.

Sarhadi informed the governor about the problems being faced by the business community in the wake of restrictions imposed on different items mentioned in the Afghan Transit Trade.

He said around 12 different departments were monitoring Pak-Afghan trade and the issue of smuggling could be resolved through enhancing vigilance and checking at borders. “Imposition restrictions on trade on the pretext of curbing smuggling of imported goods back to our country is not a wise approach”, Sahradi told the governor. He said smuggling should be stopped but not the trade to keep the momentum of commerce in the region stable and supportive for people of both the countries.

Apart from it, he pointed out that exporters were facing a lot of problems in sending their goods to Afghanistan as different departments are imposing different restrictions over transportation of goods.

He said earlier the political agent of the now defunct Khyber Agency used to issue a permit to every truck after collection of around Rs 5000 from the exporter. However, Zia added, after the merger of tribal areas into KP, the different departments charged trucks under different heads, increasing the financial burden on businessmen.

He also informed the governor about other issues. Sarhadi called for making Azakhel Dryport functional for export of goods through the train.

He recalled that the Azakhel Dryport was established four years back at a cost of Rs. 600 million, but it was not being utilized properly. Sarhadi said exporters in KP have to send goods to sea port in trucks after making additional payment and the GD or Goods Document was also prepared in Karachi, rendering hundreds of Customs clearing agents in the province jobless.

The governor held out assurance of inviting officials of relevant departments for resolution of problems.

He asked the business community to send in their demands to him in writing and he would take up all the issues one by one with relevant departments.