President, Frontier Customs Agents Group (FCAG), KP and Director, Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), Zia-ul-Haq has held the bureaucracy of both countries responsible for lacunas in the existing Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
In a statement here Sunday, he said that failure of Pakistan and Afghanistan in immediate review of the agreement and taking steps for addressing problems would bring formal end to the process of transit trade between both countries and India and Iran would be proved the actual beneficiaries.
Sarhadi, who beside a former senior vice president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is also heading dry port and railways standing committees of the trade body, stressed need for framing a comprehensive policy to taken benefit of the big import market and full utilization of the growing markets of the Central Asian Republics (CARs).
He attributed decline in exports to Afghanistan to problems relating to Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) and APTTA 2010. The agreement signed under pressure, he said, has been sabotaged miserably. In this regard, he said the Pakistani and Afghan officials have held several meetings, which had proved futile attempts.
Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi said that almost all transit trade during the period of last eight years had been shifted to Iranian ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbass, which had plunged the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan from US$2.5 billion to merely US$500 million against the ambitious target of US$5 billion of both countries.
For the promotion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he urged on the higher authorities of both countries to take decision in larger economic interests of both countries and solid steps for mitigation of hurdles by the bureaucracy.
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