ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to move a request to the United Nations to get six months relaxation for the implementation of International Road Transport (Transports Internationaux Raoutiers) (TIR) Convention. The TIR Convention became effective in Pakistan from January 21.
In July last year, Pakistan joined the United Nations TIR Convention and then United Nations Secretary General officially confirmed that the TIR Convention would enter into force for Pakistan on January 21, 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, due to lack of required legislation related to Customs’ tariffs, duty, road infrastructure, trucks of international standards as well as other requirements, Pakistan has decided to move a request for getting six months’ time for meeting the required criterions” a source at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) told Customs Today on Monday.
In this regard, FBR, Customs officials have held long meeting with concerned officials of Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and Ministry of Communications as well as representatives of All Pakistan Trucks Association” the source said adding that objective was to deliberate on possible draft of the request to the UN.
Moreover, the source said that another hindrance, which forced Pakistan to seek six months’ time for the implementation of TIR Convention was non effective and out of dated national trucking policy. Therefore the main objective of making representatives of All Pakistan Trucks Association to the said meeting was to sensitise them about the importance of said policy as well as possible impacts of enforcement of TIR Convention on trucking industry of the country.
“Although, a few companies own trucks and containers as per specifications prescribed in the TIR Convention, but share of these companies was meagre therefore, FBR and other officials asked All Pakistan Trucks Association to up grade their trucks as per international standards to avoid possible negative impacts on their business” the source added.
It is pertinent to note here that Pakistan’s geographical location can only be beneficial for the nation if it may properly leverage 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.
Therefore, 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.
