Call to amend 2010 Afghan Transit Trade Agreement

PESHAWAR: The Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked the government to amend the 2010 Afghan Transit Trade Agreement after consulting the stakeholders. The demand was made by a five members delegation of the chamber that met Director General Transit Trade, Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh, during his visit to the Directorate of Trade Customs House here.

The delegation told the DG Transit Trade that the 1965 Trade Agreement had remained in vogue for around 45 years and there were nominal complaints about it. However, they added, the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement signed in 2010 had a lot of lacunae as a result of which 70 per cent of transit trade business had been shifted from Karachi port to Chabahar port in Iran, adding amendments to the 2010 Afghan Transit Trade Agreement were needed.

They said the Customs duty for Pakistani goods was charged as Rs 200,000 and for Afghan goods, it was Rs 600,000 which needed a review.

They complained that Customs staff in Karachi after clearance of goods through scanning held it for the examination which was a violation of the rules. The delegation members said at the Torkham border the Customs Department had provided all kinds of facilities to traders, but in Afghanistan presently hundreds of empty containers had been held which needed to be released.