Federal Minister for Railways, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour on Tuesday agreed with suggestion about running of special cargo trains, twice in a week, from Karachi to Peshawar for transportation of goods imported under Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA).
He was talking to a delegation of traders associated with ATTA under the leadership of Executive Member Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi. The delegation members apprised the Minister that more than 400 railway wagons are stranded at different divisions including Sukkur, Multan, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar due to shortage of diesel and locomotives.
The Afghan traders, delegation members added, are facing great hardship due to stoppage of their goods and also paying huge amount as demurrage as the goods are overstaying at Karachi port. Similarly, the goods loaded on stranded wagons of railways are also exposed to damage due to weather and other factors. The delegation members requested the Federal Minister to issue directives for running of special cargo trains twice in a week to transport goods imported under ATTA.