A meeting of stakeholders was held with Director Transit Directorate of Transit Trade, Arbab Qaiser to discuss measures for streamlining trade between Pakistan-Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs).
The businessmen delegation was headed by President Frontier Custom Agents Association (FCAA), Zia-ul-Haq Sharhadi.
During the meeting, President FCCA, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi said APTTA 2010 has several lacunas as a result of which 70 percent of transit trade has been shifted from Karachi port to Bandar Abbas in Iran.
He also demanded revival of Goods in Transit to Afghanistan (GITA) service through lose cargo via train between Peshawar to Karachi and from Karachi to Chaman.
For this purpose, he continued, the SRO 121 be repealed for allowing GITA services through containers and lose cargo as well. The documentation (DG) of all this cargo under GITA should be held under We BOC at Azhakhel dry port so that custom clearing and forwarding agents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should also benefit from this trade.
Zia Sarhadi said in October 2023, Ministry of Commerce through issuing SRO 1380 imposed a ban on 14 items of Afghan Transit Trade which in larger context constitute around 212 items, besides enforcement of 100 percent bank guarantee.
The cargo goods were already covered under insurance guarantee and all the goods were going safely to Afghanistan for the last 13 years. He demanded revoking of 100 percent bank guarantee and revival of old insurance guarantee system.
Similarly, he continued, instead of imposition of ban on transit trade items, concentration should be given on improving monitoring and vigilance on border to curb smuggling.
Coordinator PAJCCI said hundreds of trucks are illegally bringing different items including petroleum production, food items from Iran on daily basis which needed to be stopped.
The measures taken for imposition restriction on Pak-Afghan transit trade are putting negative impact on commerce in the region, he opined.
Zia Sarhadi also pointed out the recent visit of Pakistan delegation to Kabul early in March 2024 in which many issues were discussed but no action is initiated.
Speaking on the occasion, Director Transit held out assurance of giving due consideration to points raised by business community and said decisions will be taken with their consultation.
