Businessmen want Azakhel Dryport fully operationalised

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa business community representatives have called for fully operationalizing Azakhel Dryport to facilitate exports.

The demand was made as a delegation of businessmen from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa called on newly appointed Collector Customs Appraisement, Amjad-ur-Rehman to discuss with him issues creating hurdles to the trade in the province.

President Frontier Custom Agents Association (FCAA), Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, led the seven members delegation. The delegation members greeted Amjad over his new appointment and hoped he would facilitate the business community. They praised the outgoing Collector, Muhammad Ashfaq.

Sarhadi, who is also Coordinator for Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, talked of trade, import and export from border posts including Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi, Angoor Ada, Peshawar Dryport and airport.

He said transportation of exports through trains had almost ended as the Azhakhel Dryport was not fully operational.

“The exporters are sending consignments in private trucks as a result of which they have to pay additional fare for transportation which is inflicting financial burden on them,” pointed out Sarhadi.

The Azakhel Dryport, he recalled, was inaugurated with great pomp and show four years back but was not completely operational to date.

He said at the time of the inauguration, the then prime minister Imran Khan had announced that a special cargo train would be started from Azakhel Dryport to ply between Karachi and Peshawar. But that promise did not materialize, he lamented.

Collector Customs, Amjad-ur-Rehman promised to resolve the issues faced by the business community and the Customs Agents.

He assured of taking up the issue of Azakhel Dryport with relevant authorities of the Pakistan Railways.

The collector said he hailed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and fully understood the problems being faced by the business community of the province.