PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Afghanistan Trade Transit route lost 70 percent of trade to Chabahar and Port Abbas of Iran in recent past.
The sources in Directorate of Pakistan Afghanistan Trade and Transit Customs Collectorate informed Customs Today on Monday that import of Afghanistan now carried out mainly through Iran which has baldly hit the horizon of Pak-Afghan mutual trade strategies.
The sources further said that now that Pakistani authorities have fenced the border in order to stop entries of smugglers and terrorists. Afghanistan is not willing to prolong the trade partnership with Pakistan.
Pakistan imports were mainly cement, cooking oil, machinery, vegetables, wheat, sugar cane and sugar etc which continued handsome revenue for the national exchequer.
Earlier the importers and exporters held a detailed meeting with Collector Saeed Khan Jadoon in order to inform him about problems being faced due to construction of Bus Rapid Transit on main high way which have effected the route flow of vehicles on Jamrud Road towards Afghanistan.
Collector Customs Mohammed Saeed Jadoon answered their queries and took on board the authorities of BRT project in order to solve the problems being faced by the importers and exporters but the project is still under construction.
The collector was also informed earlier by the importers about problems faced by them while clearing goods through WeBOC service.
The importers also several times protested on Pakistan Afghan Trade Route about the illegal harassment from customs authorities but all went in vain, sources said.
Due to frustration Afghanistan now import through Iran and generating handsome revenue which is causing loss to collections of Customs Collectorate.
Experts say that new government took incredible initiative and foreign minister visited Afghanistan but it too have not affirmed to get back the trade valve been shifted to Iran from Pakistan.
Experts suggested that the government and FBR need to revise the policies regarding Afghanistan in order to engage economic stings with Afghanistan as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will lost strongest trade alley in the region.
