The government is suffering an estimated revenue loss of roughly Rs 3-5 million per day following total suspension of transportation of Nato containers, commercial cargo and Afghan Transit Trade consignments destined for Afghanistan. A customs official talking to Business Recorder on condition of anonymity said that on average over 600 trucks cross Pak-Afghan border containing ATT consignments, bonded carriers, cargo as well as Nato containers.
"When there is suspension of movement of Nato consignments at Pak-Afghan border, it also affects the transportation of commercial cargo to Afghanistan under ATT," he pointed out. He said that according to a rough estimate, if all transit trade is suspended including Nato supplies, it would imply a loss of around Rs 3-5 million per day loss.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) sit-in against drone strikes entered its third day in Peshawar, as transporters and business community decried the loss of billions of rupees in terms of loss of imports, exports as well as transportation fees.
The PTI and its allies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday blocked the Nato supplies in the province in order to press the US to stop the drone strikes - a decision, which has been criticised by many political parties including the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), accusing the PTI of undermining national unity.
"The symbolic Dharnas by individual parties are not an appropriate response to challenges to Pakistan's sovereignty due to drone attacks," said Jan Achakzai, spokesperson for the JUI-F, adding that all political parties, federal government and provincial governments should forge a national consensus instead.
He also accused the PTI of reducing national security issues to political point scoring and thereby undermining national unity by solo act of sit-in protest. Talking to Business Recorder President, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shahid Ullah Shinwari said that not only the Nato containers but all other commercial and transit consignments destined to and from Afghanistan had been stopped due to the blockade.
He said that our trade with Afghanistan had been badly affected, as those trucks and containers transporting goods to and from Afghanistan under Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), were stuck on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border.
The PTI workers have set up camp near the Hayatabad Toll Plaza to monitor trucks passing through the city and prevent Nato containers from entering Peshawar. Supporters of the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami were present at the protest camp and checking identification documents to distinguish Nato trucks from regular cargo carriers. However, Shinwari pointed out it was difficult to establish that a container or truck was carrying Nato goods, as the drivers not necessarily carrying all related documents. He said that the transit and commercial trucks and containers had also stopped their operation due to the blockade.
He criticised the flawed planning of the PTI to block Nato supply route at this stage, saying "I don't know whether the US was suffering any loss due to the blockade but we, the businessmen and traders, were suffering huge losses as a result of the blockade."