‘Afghanistan stops 2,500 empty Pak trucks’

PESHAWAR: The business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday complained that 2,500 containers and trucks transporting trade goods to Afghanistan had been stopped across the border.

Senior Vice-President of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said these empty trucks and containers had been parked in Khwar Maidan area on the Afghanistan side of the Torkham border.

He said the trucks and containers had been sopped for the last several days, causing losses to the businessmen on account of detention charges.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said the Afghanistan authorities were demanding extra money from the businessmen to allow the trucks to enter Pakistan.

“The Afghan authorities stopped the trucks and containers of the Pakistani businessmen who refused or cannot pay extra money,” he added.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, who is also central vice-president of All Pakistan Customs Agents Association, said the Afghan border authorities had conveyed to them that the emptied trucks and containers were stopped to allow the trucks loaded with fruits and other Afghan goods to enter Pakistan.

The businessmen representative said the practice had resulted in shortage of trucks and containers transporting goods to Afghanistan in the country. He said it had resulted in increase in the transportation charges.

“The fare for hiring a truck to transport goods from Karachi in Sindh to Jalalabad in Afghanistan has shot up from Rs250,000 to Rs400,000,” he said and added that it was affecting the trade between the two countries.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi asked the Afghanistan Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal and other authorities concerned to take note of the situation and ensure a stern action against the Afghan border officials involved in the practice which he said was illegal.