SCCI demands withdrawal of SOPs at Torkham border

PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has asked the government to withdraw the SOPs at Torkham and remove hurdles in the way of Pak-Afghan trade. The demand was made by SCCI Senior Vice President Shahid Hussain during a meeting with Director General Transit Trade Karachi Raza Ahmad Khan at the Model Customs House in Peshawar. Besides others, Director Transit Trade Peshawar Amjadul Rahman, Additional Directors, Jan Bahadur, Muhammad Tayyab, Deputy Director Inamullah Wazir, SCCI President Ziaul Haq Sarhadi and others attended the meeting. While highlighting issues of customs clearing agents and business community, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi apprised the meeting that nearly 7,000 transit trade containers were stuck due to slow clearing process at Karachi port. He maintained that heavy charges were being collected from traders and exporters on head of demurrage and detention at the Karachi port. He called for withdrawal of demurrage and detention charges to ease the financial woes of the trader community. Sarhadi said that following the directives of FBR, 100 percent examination of transit trade containers was being carried out at Karachi port, while additional checking of trucks was also conducted at Torkham border, adding that it was the main reason behind the slowdown of the mutual and transit trade with Afghanistan.