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Thursday March 28, 2024

Afghanistan to clear 4,000 empty containers of Pak-Afghan transit trade

By Bureau report
November 13, 2020

PESHAWAR: The Pak-Afghan authorities and business community have agreed on the promotion of bilateral trade through Torkham by allowing the entry of empty containers from the Afghan side of the border.

The consensus was reached between the business communities of both countries that met at the Zero Point of the Torkham Border, said Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, a member of the Pakistani delegation. The Pak delegation comprised of 22 members including Senior Vice-President of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), Khalid Shehzad, Vice President (VP), Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Junaid Altaf, Shahid Hussain, Imtiaz Ahmad Ali, President, Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Colonel (Retd) Mohammad Saddique and Jabir Shinwari. The officers of Pakistan Customs and National Logistic Cell also accompanied the delegation. Besides, Security Officer Abdul Baseer. Additional Collector Customs Roohaullah Nazri, Deputy at Afghan Customs House, Shah Jehan, representatives of Kabul Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sifwatullah Sahibzada, Agha Mohammad Rodowal, Mohammad Nadir, Haji Usman, Bashir Wahab, Inayatullah, Haji Zalmi. Dr Mukhlis Ahmad, Commercial Attaché Peshawar Afghan Consulate, Fawad Arsh, Deputy Attaché, Dr Hameedullah, Naeem Saif of Afghan Consulate Karachi and others represented Afghanistan.

The participants of the meeting unanimously decided that 4000 empty containers of Pak-Afghan transit trade stranded on the Afghan side and paying US$ 150 on daily basis in the head of detention charges would be cleared from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am on daily basis to reach Karachi while export and Afghan transit trade goods will enter Afghanistan from Pakistan. Similarly, from 6am to 10pm was specified for the entry of the exports of Afghanistan including fresh fruit, vegetables, transit to India and other goods. An estimated number of 1000 trucks will enter Pakistan on a daily basis.

Ziaul Sarhadi, who is the president of Frontier Customs Agents Association, said the authorities and the business community of both countries had agreed on the establishment of a joint check post on Afghan side on the pattern of already established joint check post by Pakistan at the Zero Point wherein all agencies are collectively check Afghan good, so they should also collectively check their containers.