F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has rejected the government decision to open Pak-Aghan torkham and chaman borders for five days a week and demanded to keep open the border around the clock in order to unhurt Pak-Afghan transit and bilateral trade, and avoid further financial losses to traders and exporters.
The concerns were raised during a meeting of traders, exporters and importers, held here at the chamber on Tuesday under SCCI President Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz in chair. Besides, the chamber senior vice president, Shahid Hussain, Vice president Abdul Jalil Jan, traders and exporters associated with Afghan transit trade were present in the meeting. The participants demanded “complete opening of the Pak-Afghan border” so that trade activities in the province could be boosted up.
SCCI chief informed the meeting that federal ministry interior had issued notification to keep open Torkham and Chaman border 5 days a week for export only (both for Afghan transit trade and bilateral trade), according to which minimum 100 trucks each were allowed from Torkham and Chaman border per day, which would not only hurt the traders income but would also cause heavy losses to the national exchequer.
He witnessed the Pakistan’s trade with Afghanistan was on a constant decline, with most of the volume being shifted to Iran and India. Therefore, he stressed the need for opening of both Torkham and Chaman border for 24/7 to give boost to Afghan transit trade and mutual trade, besides to ease difficulties of the business community.
Maqsood Pervaiz informed that trucks/containers loaded with perishable items, like vegetable and fruits were parked at Landi Kotal and Takhta baig due to which the food items worth millions of rupees were in danger of going to waste.
During the meeting, the chamber president condemned large number of Afghan transit trade goods containers being held on pretext to pass them scanning process at Karachi port.
Furthermore, he informed the meeting that nearly 7,000 Afghan transit goods containers were being held under guise of scanning process at Karachi port, while the traders and exporters charged on name of detention charges under prevailing situation, which completely unjust and unfair with them, he added. He urged the government to bring easiness in clearance process in order to ease their difficulties and unhurt Pak-Afghan transit trade business and mutual trade between two countries.
