Customs Border Complexes at Torkham, Chaman: NLC may be granted contract of construction

The government is expected to grant contract of construction of state-of-the-art Customs Border Complexes at Torkham and Chaman border areas to National Logistic Cell (NLC). Sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday that the Customs Border Complexes at Torkham and Chaman would be completed in a time period of four years. The NLC is being granted the contact of the project. By April 2018, the contract would be awarded to the NLC for the said projects.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal is said to have assured an Afghan delegation during a meeting that under-construction new customs clearance centre at Torkham border will be completed by April 2018. An official said Afghan delegation took up the issue of problems faced in the realm of transit trade and measures for trade facilitation. Both sides agreed that new customs clearance facility at Torkham needs to be completed in the shortest possible time so that excessive delays could be avoided. The minister also assured the delegation of his support for speedy customs clearance at the ports to facilitate early movement of goods containers.
The delegation led by Mozammal Shinwari, Advisor to CEO on Trade and Regional Cooperation, also included Abdul Hakim Mujahid, Executive Director & Head of Afghanistan High Peace Council, Elay Ershad, Member of Parliament, Rangina Kargar, Member of Parliament, Lal Mohammad Durrani, Deputy Speaker Nangarhar Provincial Council, Salim Khan Kanduzi, former Governor Nangarhar province, Qutabuddin Royeedar, former Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, and Feridoon Sikandar, Advisor to CEO on Refugees. Aizad Ali, Project Director CRSS Pakistan, and Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director CRSS Pakistan, were also present on the occasion.
The two sides also discussed that scholarships being offered to Afghan students could also be made available to Afghan refugee families in Pakistan. The delegation apprised the minister that the Afghan government is making concerted efforts for resettlement of Afghan refugees back home and that it plans to facilitate two million refugees in two years.
The minister on the occasion appreciated the statement of the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wherein he mentioned about unconditional dialogue with Afghan Taliban and also having talks with the government of Pakistan to resolve Afghan crisis. The delegation thanked Rana Afzal for sparing time for the meeting and held a frank discussion with members of the delegation on different matters. The minister, it may be mentioned, specially flew from Karachi on Thursday morning to meet the delegation at Rawal Lounge, Islamabad airport, before the delegation's departure for Afghanistan.