Dastgir says railways to freight 400 containers of Afghan transit cargo per week
ISLAMABAD: Despite holding two-day-long discussions, Pakistan and Afghanistan could not reach any consensus on Free Trade Agreement (FTA), easing implementation of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
“Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan has held lengthy deliberations with key Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani, Finance Minister Eklil Ahmad Hakimi, Chief Executive of Afghanistan Dr Abdullah Abdullah, National Economic Adviser Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and Acting Commerce Minister Muzammil Shinwari in Kabul but these meetings have not produced desired results,” a well-placed source at the Ministry of Commerce told this scribe.
Source said that both the sides remained stagnant and strict to their stance and appreciative to measures taken by either government to facilitate each other’s traders under the transit trade without acknowledging the other’s efforts in this regard.
Both sides also announced to take more effective measures to protect the interests of each other on their respective soils in terms of provision of security to containers and trucks carrying transit trade, but did not mention to remove the hurdles confronted by the traders’ community at the hands of customs and tax authorities.
Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir in his meeting with the Afghan president announced without taking little care of current operational capacity of Pakistan Railways that Pakistan Railways would carry 400 containers of Afghan transit cargo to Torkham and Chaman per week which shall be made operational later this year.
He also highlighted numerous implemented decisions by Pakistani government to facilitate Afghan Transit Trade. For example Pakistan has allowed system based partial shipment of Afghan transit goods instead of manual processing along-with reduced scanning of Afghan transit cargo from 100 percent to 20 percent.
Moreover, Afghan trucks have been allowed to carry goods up to Wagah and on their way back, they can carry Pakistani goods for exports to Afghanistan. Pakistan has made serious and concerted efforts to address concerns of the business community of Afghanistan on Afghan Transit Trade.
He also sought implementation on numerous measures including removal of tonnage fee at rate of $100 per 25 tonnes on goods which are in transit to Central Asia, expedite signing of a bilateral treaty to avoid double taxation that would facilitate investment in both countries, issuance of Afghan multiple entry visas for Pakistan businessmen and skilled workers and permission for transit of LPG via Afghanistan to Pakistan.
Dastgir also pressed on initiation of talks on ‘Preferential Trade Agreement’ between Pakistan and Afghanistan, providing enhanced market access to Afghan goods in Pakistani market and addressing the issue of smuggling.
The minister reiterated that economic cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan has gained momentum during the recent months with enhanced dialogue, high level visits and confidence building measures taken by the respective Governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Afghan president promised multiple entry visas for businessmen on reciprocal basis and ensured to address other issues at the earliest.
