24/7 operation sought to transport goods to Afghanistan

PESHAWAR: The Frontier Customs Agents Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, President Ziaul Haq Sarhadi has asked the government to allow Khyber Pakhtunkhwa businessmen 24-hour operation to help facilitate exports to Afghanistan.

In a statement on Monday, Sarhadi, who is also a former vice-president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and head of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said presently 7,000 loaded trucks were parked at the Karachi Port which were incurring millions of rupees demurrage charges daily.

He said that it was beyond understanding to allow only 50-100 trucks to transport goods to Afghanistan while thousands of trucks had been parked at the Karachi Port. Sarhadi said that it would take months if the 24/7 operation was not allowed to transport goods to Afghanistan.

He also demanded the federal government to allow imports from Afghanistan so that several important staple food items, including fruits and vegetables and other goods could be brought into Pakistan.

Sarhadi, who is also All Pakistan Customs Agents Association central vice-chairman, complained that there was no specific policy for the imports, saying that fruits and vegetables, including apple, grapes and other fruits imports should be allowed according to the season.

It may be mentioned here that the federal government has recently allowed a five-day one way trade to Afghanistan, but that is not enough to cater to the high demand in Afghanistan and facilitate thousands of trucks loaded with goods here in Pakistan.