KARACHI: The provisions of the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement are likely to be revised/amended shortly with an aim to further facilitate the traders.
In this regard, a meeting was recently held in the federal capital that was attended by the officials of the federal government and the Afghanistan side, sources told Customs Today.
Presently, the agreement is facing serious issues which are disturbing not only the transit trade but also bilateral relations. The issues pertained to trademark and IPR, multiple visa problems to the Pakistani firms for their professional staff, engineers, consultants, etc., the need for appropriate banking channels, missing trade leads from Afghanistan and resolution of several execution related transit matters to establish confidence building measures across the border.
According to sources, it was agreed that in accordance with Article 50 of ATTA, the provisions of the present agreement shall be revised and amended appropriately with a view to further facilitating the transit trade.
Both sides agreed in principle that the provisions of TIR Convention – to which both Pakistan and Afghanistan are signatories, will be adopted in ATTA to the extent possible.
In this connection Afghanistan will share a draft text of amended APTTA with Pakistan by 15th March, 2016 which would be deliberated in the 7th ATTCA meeting to be hosted by Afghanistan in the last week of March, 2016.
