Senate body discusses hurdles to Afghan trade

LANDIKOTAL: The Senate Standing Committee on State and Frontier Regions (Safron) held a meeting of line departments in Torkham border town on and discussed hurdles to trade with Afghanistan, sources said on Monday.

The meeting was chaired by Safron standing committee chairman Senator Taj Muhammad Afridi and attended by DPO Muhammad Iqbal, officials of Frontier Corps, Federal Board of Revenue, Customs and National Logistics Cell and other border officials.

The meeting discussed the constraints and hurdles that had been negatively affecting trade with Afghanistan.Senator Taj Muhammad directed all the departments concerned to bring ease to traders, promote export and encourage Afghan businessmen to purchase Pakistani goods. He said after the coronavirus pandemic, strict rules in the name of SOPs were implemented that decreased business activities via Torkham border.

The senator said that Corona SoPs had been removed recently and this is why they wanted to resume trade with Afghanistan to achieve the goal. Meanwhile, a member of FBR said that for all Pak-Afghan transit trade, a scale machine would be installed in Jamrud to reduce the burden of traffic flow in Torkham.