KP Business community expresses concern

PESHAWAR (APP): Business community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have expressed grave concern over large number of Afghan transit trade goods containers being held on pretext of passing them through scanning process at Karachi port and urged the government to bring easiness in clearance process for smooth running of Pak-Afghan transit.

The issue was discussed during a meeting of traders of Afghan transit trade and exporters held here at the chamber house on Saturday under Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), President Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz in chair.

SCCI Senior Vice President Shahid Hussain, Vice President Abdul Jalil Jan, former senior vice president, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Abdul Majeed Gorwara, Tufail Gorwara,, Faroqq, Shakeel Khan, Afaq and others were in attendance on the occasion.

The meeting was informed that nearly 7,000 Afghan transit goods containers were being held under for scanning process at Karachi port, while it added the traders and exporters charged on name of detention charges under prevailing situation, which is completely unjust and unfair with them.

Similarly, the participants said the shipping company is also being charged additional demurrage in shape of rent from traders and exporters.

They added there is no justification of carrying out scanning of Afghan transit trade goods trucks/containers at Karachi port and asked the authorities concerned to immediately stop this practice in order to accelerate the export process, besides to give boost to Pak-Afghan transit trade business and bilateral trade.

The meeting demanded of the government to keep open Pak-Afghan torkham border for entire week because only 100 goods containers/vehicles can be able to cross the border in five days.

The participants expressed concern over checking of transit goods containers on different check points en-rout to Afghanistan via Torkham border and demanded to bring easiness in checking process while keeping in view owes of traders and exporters in this regard.

The meeting noticed the Pak-Afghan transit and bilateral trade is already very low while the policies and procedures would further decline the trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

So, it asked the government to take measures to facilitate business community and relax policies to further strengthen the mutual trade between the two neighbouring countries.