Govt urged to meet protesting customs clearing agents demands

PESHAWAR: The Frontier Customs Agents Group Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter president Ziaul Haq Sarhadi on Monday asked the government to meet the demands of the protesting customs clearing agents at the Torkham border.

In a statement, he said the authorities should resolve the issues of the protesting customs clearing agents as the protest had halted trade activities at the Torkham border. Sarhadi said exporters, importers and local traders were protesting against the 40 percent increase in duties on various goods.

He added that trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan was decreasing due to a host of reasons. Sarhadi said that hundreds of trucks loaded with fresh fruit, vegetables and other items had been stranded on both sides of the Torkham border due to the protest. He said the Customs authorities and clearing agents should resolve the issues so that the trade activities could resume.Sarhadi welcomed the commitment of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani who, during his recent visit to Islamabad, had expressed the desire to increase the trade volume with Pakistan. “It was a good decision by leaders of the two countries to open the border for 24 hours for trade,” he said.