President Frontier Customs Agents Group (FCAG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and former senior vice president Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi has demanded of the Prime Minister Imran Khan for review of the stern conditioned of the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 2010 to enhance bilateral trade and ending of Indian monopoly in Afghan market.
In a statement issued here Sunday, he said that during the period of last three years, the volume of the bilateral trade which was US$2.4 billion has been declined by US$1.2 billion. He said that in a meeting held in 2014; both countries have expressed resolve for increasing bilateral trade between both countries to US$5 billion in a period of five years.
Sarhadi, who is also a Director of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PAJCCI) and Vice President, All Pakistan Customs Agents Association (APCCA) further said that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued directives for the notifying of Azakhel Dry Port as Customs Station as soon as possible.
He said that the early completion of Azakhel Dry Port by Pakistan Railways could prove as useful tool for the promotion of bilateral trade between both countries and could also become a catalyst for re-shifting of 70% Afghan transit trade back to Karachi and other seaports of Pakistan and revival of 10,000 people that were dependent with the business. Identifying the lack of facilities at Pakistan's dry ports a big hurdle in the promotion of Pak-Afghan bilateral trade, he said that the present Railway Station Dry Port was established in 1986 temporarily and despite the passage of a period of over three decade is still operating on ad hoc basis, while other cities are having two or three dry ports equipped with all modern facilities.
He said that due to shortage of space and lacking of facilities in the present dry port, the decision of the shifting of the facility to Azakhel (Pir Pai Station) was taken in the second term of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said that the acquisition of 64 acres land was also allocated for the purpose while former chief minister Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan have also sanctioned an amount of Rs 20 million in the name of Peshawar Dry Port Trust. In the meanwhile, he said due to the lack of required facilities at temporary dry port and railway locomotive, the businessmen depending on transit trade faced the brunt of the growing transportation cost and majority Afghan traders instead of Karachi port and Port Qasim preferred Chah Bahar and Bandar Abbas seat ports that resulted in the shifting of 70% Afghan transit trade business from Pakistan.
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