PESHAWAR: A five-member delegation of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) held a meeting with Director General Transit Trade, Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh during his visit to Directorate of Trade Custom House Peshawar. The delegation was led by newly elected Vice President of PAJCCI, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi. Director Transit Trade, Arbab Qaiser Hameed, Deputy Director Ghulam Khan Border, Asfandyar, and Deputy Director Torkhem Border, Amanat Khan were also present on the occasion.
The delegation congratulated DG Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh over assuming office of his new appointment. They also appreciated services rendered by outgoing DG Transit Trade, Raza Ahmad Khan and former Director Trade, Amjad Rehman.
Both the officials, the delegation members added, during their one and a half year tenure have worked a lot for resolution of problems being faced by businessmen dealing in Afghan transit trade. They also played a pivotal role in opening the Ghulam Khan border for Pak-Afghan trade, the delegation members observed.
The PAJCCI delegation apprised DG Transit Trade that the 1965 Trade Agreement remained in vogue for around 45 years and there are very nominal complaints of people related to transit trade. However, they continued, the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement signed in 2010 has a lot of lacuna; as a result of which 70 percent of transit trade business has been shifted from Karachi port to Chabahar port in Iran.
They demanded amendments in the 2010 Afghan Transit Trade Agreement at the earliest through consultation of all the stakeholders. They also demanded revoking of SRO 121 and to allow Good in Transit to Afghanistan (GITA) to transport containers and lose cargo in trains from Peshawar to Karachi and from Karachi to Chaman (Balochistan).
The documentation of GITA should be carried out at Azakhel Dry port instead of Karachi through Weebok so that custom clearing and forwarding agents could also benefit from this business. The delegation told DG Transit Trade that the examination system at Karachi covers marking of only five percent of goods while customs officials check the whole container.
The KICT has given five days free time while PSCT is giving 14 days free time for checking. It is therefore requested to also direct KICT to give fourteen days of free time. They said the custom duty for Pakistani goods charged at Rs 200,000 and for Afghan goods at Rs 600,000 which needed a review.
They complained that Custom staff in Karachi after clearance of goods through scanning hold it for examination which is in violation of APTTA rules. The delegation demanded enhancement of the number of tracker companies, allowing Railways, NLC and private trucks along with bonded carriers for transportation of goods.
They also demanded provision of facility of TP file for Transit Goods as given in Karachi for imported goods while initiation of GD and other processing of goods at Azhakhel Dry Port. The delegation members said at Torkham border the Custom Department has provided all kinds of facilities to traders, but in Afghanistan presently hundreds of empty containers were held which needed to be released.
Speaking on the occasion, DG Transit and Trade, Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh expressed the hope of resolving all these issues on priority basis. He also held out assurance of full cooperation to businessmen dealing in Afghan Transit Trade.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021