KARACHI: During the seven months of this year till September 30, a total of 23,898 containers left the two Karachi Ports; namely Karachi Port Trust and Port Bin Qasim, for Afghanistan under Web Based One Custom (WeBoc), the computerized system of Pakistan Customs.
The two Karachi ports continue to facilitate not only commercial imports but also non-commercial cargoes to Afghanistan. According to details, of the 23,898 containers laden with commercial imports to Afghanistan, 21,213 were loaded with general cargo while the remaining 2,685 carried fabrics. Sources said that the bulk of the containers landed, cleared and released from the Karachi Port Trust while just about 10 percent landed, cleared and released from Port Bin Qasim, some 50 kilometres east of Karachi.
In March, a total of 2,964 containers were transported from the two ports of Karachi. These included 2,828 containers of general cargo and 136 containers of fabrics. In April, a total of 2,676 containers including 2,344 general cargo and 329 containers of fabric were transported and in May, a total of 2,567 containers were released and this included 2,296 containers of general cargo and 291 containers of fabrics. Similarly, a total of 3,151; 3,473; 4,518 and 4,532 containers were transported to Afghanistan in the months of June, July, August and September respectively.
In June, 2,844 containers of general cargo and 307 containers of fabrics were transported while in July, August and September 3,122 containers of general cargo and 351 containers of fabrics; 3,839 containers of general cargo and 679 containers of fabrics and 3,940 containers of general cargo and 592 containers of fabrics were transported to land-locked Afghanistan from the Karachi ports. Asked about the separation of commercial import cargoes to Afghanistan into two distinct group of ‘general cargo” and ‘fabrics,” the sources told Customs Today that this has been done because FBR, Islamabad wants it in this way because of rampant mal-practice of getting the fabrics consignments got cleared.
