President, Frontier Customs Agents Group (FCAG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Senior Vice President (SVP), Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi has called for the immediate end of transporters' strike at Torkham. In a press release issued here on Saturday, Sarhadi condemned the charging of an extortion of the Rs 10,000 from each Pakistani truck and Rs 5000 from Afghan transporters in the name of Khak Phulli on the Afghan side of the border.
He said that transporters are on strike for the last five consecutive days against the collection of extortion, resulting in the stranding of hundreds of trucks on both side of the border.
The stranded trucks, beside loaded of Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) goods were also loaded with Nato-ISAF, embassies goods and export bound goods from Pakistan comprising fruit, vegetables, juices, milk, cream, meat, poultry, eggs and other items are perishing. Similarly, he said that empty trucks returning to Pakistan after down loading goods are also being affected by the illegal tax inflicting loss worth millions of rupees to the national economy.
Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi who is also vice chairman of the All Pakistan Customs Agents Association (APCCA) while condemning the strike has called for its immediate end to save traders from heavy financial losses. He has also requested the Peshawar based Afghan Consul General, Afghan Trade Commissioner and other authorities for taking steps for immediate ending of the strike. He said that the volume of the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan which was US $2.5 billion few months back had declined to US $1.5 billion.