ISLAMABAD: Implementation of United Nations International Road Transport (Transports Internationaux Raoutiers) (TIR) convention is going to start in Pakistan from today (Thursday).
In July last year, Pakistan joined United Nations TIR Convention and then United Nations Secretary General officially confirmed that the TIR Convention would enter into force for Pakistan on January21, 2016.
The TIR is an international transit system covered under a multilateral UN backed guarantee system already operational in 60 countries. It allows seamless transport connectivity between its member countries. The “TIR Convention” is a United Nations Convention and is administered by IRU (The International Road Union) based in Geneva. PNC-ICC (The Pakistan National Committee of ICC) is the associate member of IRU and represents IRU’s presence in Pakistan.
“However, the implementation of TIR convention will not reduce taxes but will reduce cost of business and will positively affect our Pakistan’s revenue” a well placed official source at Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) told Customs Today. It will also support the establishment of international economic cooperation corridors and effectively strengthen trade links with key regional trading partners and with the rest of the world.
The source further said that once TIR would become operational, Pakistan would be better plugged in to the global economy and well placed to promote regional development and integration, especially along the regional trade corridors because TIR Transit System was the only global intermodal trade facilitation tool. It will underpin the growth of Pakistan’s rapidly developing deep-water ports and national road network.
It will usher in a new era of growth and prosperity that will bring significant economic benefits to Pakistan, the wider region and its international trading partners” the source further added saying that TIR would be a great step for trade facilitation to the neighbouring countries on the western borders and beyond. The trucks carrying goods would not pass through the checking process, but under the TIR Convention would be able to travel with minimum interference.
The source said that Pakistan’s geographical location could only be an advantage for the nation if it would properly leveraged by introducing the relevant transport and transit compliant laws, an adequate transport infrastructure and an enabling environment for the private sector logistics and freight forwarding industry to grow.
It is pertinent to note here that to get connected trade regionally with Central Asia, with Turkey, Iran or with China Pakistan needed to have in place enabling International Conventions as well as bilateral agreements to allow the movement of goods and trucks across borders.
