Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed voice concerns over the new Afghan-Pakistan transit trade pact, demanding of the government to resolve the issues being confronted by traders and exporters, attached with the Afghan transit trade business.
The concerns were expressed during a meeting of traders, held under the SCCI President Zahidullah Shinwari in chair at the Chamber House here on Saturday. The Chamber President suggested that a concrete mechanism should be evolved with consultation of the chamber to extend maximum relief to members of the business community, especially attached with Afghan transit business. Those who attended the meeting include the Chamber vice president, Mohammad Taimoor Shah, Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Director, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Additional Director Afghan Transit Trade, Dr Saeed Jadoon, Consultant PAJCCI relating transit trade, Sana Ikram, Assistant Director Torkhum Dr Ranjan, Transit Trade group president Gul Afzal Shinwari, Farooq Ahmad and Imtiaz Ahmad Shah. Besides, the traders and exporters, who are attached with Afghan transit trade business, were present on the occasion.
The meeting discussed the problems of business community of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through the new Afghan transit trade agreement. The meeting informed that the transit trade business would be shifted from Pakistan to Abbas Port in Iran, under the new transit pact, which were causing detrimental impacts on traders attached with transit businesses and Pakistan. The meeting asked the Federal Government to resolve issues of business community, attached with transit trade and would devise policies with their consultation. The meeting further said the country being faced with billions of rupees losses on head of rents, due to non-functional of Pakistan Railways and NLC, while clearing, forwarding and border agents, attached with the Afghan transit trade also become jobless. The FBR online system, the meeting said, had also flawed due to which Afghan transit trade agents being faced with enormous difficulties.
On the occasion, Additional Director Transit Trade Dr Saeed Jadoon explained the meeting about the Afghan Transit trade and agreed with the concerns of traders regarding the new Pak-Afghan transit trade agreement. PAJCCI Consultant, Sana Ikram, and SCCI president Zahidullah Shinwari assured they would take up the issues via Pakistan-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry with departments concerned at federal level. Farooq Ahmad, Imtiaz Ahmad Ali, and Gul Afzal Shinwari also spoke on the occasion.
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