Pak-Afghan bilateral and transit trade at Torkham border has registered manifold increase after the opening of the round-the-clock clearance of goods carrying trucks at the border. However, traders on both sides of the border seek more facilities to promote bilateral and transit trade through this traditional trade route.
Talking to this scribe, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, president, Frontier Customs Agents Group (FCAG), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that before the new arrangements, the border authorities were used to clear 600 to 700 trucks daily while now the number of the crossing over trucks is ranging from 1,000 to 1,200 trucks.
Traders on both side of the border are happy over the development and appreciating the step of the government for taking the initiative. However, they are also complaining of certain kind of hurdles for the vehicles carrying Afghanistan bound goods in trade and those coming under Afghan Transit Trade.
They said that after the merger of the erstwhile FATA into KP, the office of then Political Agent had now replaced with the Deputy Commissioner (DC), but instead of the later, police is playing shots that had created a number of check posts at various points on Peshawar-Torkham highway wherein long queues of trucks could be witnessed around the clock.
Engineer Irshad Shinwari, a local border agent at Torkham said that robust business was witnessed during the period of first three days. But due to check posts, established by police, the transportation of goods both under bilateral and transit trade has halted. They are demanding to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take notice of the matter and abolish these check posts to promote trade with Afghanistan.
Similarly, Najeebullah Safi, Executive Director, Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) at Kabul Office hailed the opening of Torkham border for 24-hour operation a positive step for the promotion of trade. He said that both Afghan authorities and traders were jubilant over the step and added the participation of Governor Nangarhar and other Afghan authorities in the opening ceremony of the border last month was the ample proof of the support of Afghanistan to the initiative.
Furthermore, Ahmad Shah, another Afghan trader had also hailed the 24-hour opening of the Torkham border for trade activities. He rejected a media report that Afghanistan was not ready for cooperating in keeping Afghan border opened for the round-the-clock operation. He said the customs authorities of Afghan had dispelled the impression, saying they were ready for conducting 24-hour clearance operation at Torkham border.
However, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi highlighted some reasons behind the diversion of bilateral and transit trade trucks to Chaman border. The first reason, he said was less transport fare and the return of the empty container within a short period of four days that save the exporters from detention charges. While on the other hand, he said fare from Karachi to Torkham is manifold higher and the return of the empty container used to take one month. He said Afghan authorities used to impound returning containers and released them after payment of money.
Similarly, he said that as per the ruling of Islamabad High Court (IHC), axel load limit for 20 feet container on Karachi-Torkham route is weighted 16 tons, but on the other the same length container through Chaman border is allowed to carry 24 tons weight while 40 feet container through Torkham border is allowed to 32 tons weight while the same is permitted to carry 55 tons through Chaman border.
This decision of the court, which is applicable for the whole country, is strictly implemented through Torkham border, but the case of Chaman border is totally different. The situation, Sarhadi said, has rendered 270 clearing agents of the province unemployed while the business of transit trade is also being shifted to Chaman border.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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