ISLAMABAD: In a major move, the government has granted a temporary waiver of Electronic Import Form (EIF) for Afghanistan in order to facilitate trade activities.

This was decided during the meeting of Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC) chaired by National Security Advisor, Dr. Moeed Yusuf. The meeting was attended by Pakistan’s Special envoy to Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq and representatives from Foreign Office, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Commerce, FBR, and FIA.

The waiver, initially granted for 45 days, comes as compliance with the directions of the Prime Minister Imran Khan to assist Afghanistan in addressing the impending humanitarian and economic crisis.

As EIFs were not being issued by the corresponding banks to execute transactions for imports, this had led to a situation with long queues of cargo vehicles being stuck at Torkham and Chaman border crossings.

However, now with the introduction of the new measures, imports from Afghanistan would be possible without the mandatory requirement of Electronic Import Form (EIF) as required by the State Bank of Pakistan.

The new initiative comes as a huge relief for the trader community and would help in immediate clearance of hundreds of cargo trucks currently stuck up at various border crossings due to non-availability of EIF. It will also enhance the overall trade volume between the two countries.