ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has handed over a draft of the proposed Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan Trilateral Transit Agreement (PATTTA) to both the Afghan and Tajik governments for proposals.
“The working group headed by Additional Secretary Ministry of Commerce (MoC) Rubina Athar had dispatched the said draft to the relevant ministries of Afghanistan and Tajikistan,” a source in the ministry told this scribe on Friday.
To a question regarding the proposed draft, he said the ministry had slightly amended the existing Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and forwarded it to the governments concerned and it would not be named as Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement (PATTTTA).
“With the passage of time this agreement would also be extended to other Central Asian States because provisions in this regards have been incorporated,” the source added.
The source said that in the beginning of the current month Pakistan and Afghanistan held two days negotiations to review Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and to search out avenues of signing Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) amongst Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan with an aim to enhance trade volume up to $5 billion over the next three years.
“The Secretary Commerce Arbab Shahzad inaugurated the first session of the 5th Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Co-ordination Authority (APTTCA) here in the Federal Capital, whereas the head of Afghan delegation delivered a short speech focusing on enhancement of trade relations.
The source said that official experts of both countries overviewed trade relations among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan and discussed prospects of early signing of Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement. The officials of both sides also deliberated on ways of fostering co-operation in regional connectivity through road, rail and communication links.
The source said that the issues including notification of APTTA Rules by Afghanistan, electronic data inter-change, WeBOC, working days, railways and cost of transit were discussed in detail. “Key operational issues like transit issues and facilitations at ports of Karachi, training of Afghan officials for expeditious registration under WeBOC, pending insurance guarantees with Afghanistan, single goods declaration format both for transit consignments to Central Asian States (CARs), payment of 110 per cent guarantee on Pakistan’s transit consignments to CARs, requirement of transit permit and payment of $100 per consignment each from Pakistan as well as transit issues at Wahga border also came under discussions.
”The officials of both sides also discussed Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), joint business council, multiple visa entry for Pakistani workers, Custom Co-operation Agreement (CCA) between ACD and FBR, automation of the good declaration at Torkham for Pakistani exports and verified invoices for goods entering Afghanistan,” the source added.
The source said that the existing APTTA allowed Afghan trucks to carry export cargo to Pakistani seaports and the Wahga border post to Indian as well as it also permitted Afghan trucks on their return will be permitted to carry goods from Pakistan to Afghanistan. And this proviso of APTTA was also challenged in Lahore High Court on account that the agreement was the violation of Article 2-A of the constitution.
The source recalled that Pakistan soon after the signing of APTTA made it clear to Afghanistan that bilateral transit trade pact would not entitle Indian exports to Afghanistan via the Wagah land route. Later, the source said that Customs authorities of Pakistan and Afghanistan have jointly drafted a new customs-protocol under the APTTA for the regulation of transit traffic through two countries.
“The customs control and transit regime of Pakistan and Afghanistan has been specified in Protocol-III of the new APTTA” the source revealed adding that the proposed procedure would ensure security of transit cargo destined for Afghanistan and the monitoring of the consignments to check their inflow back into Pakistan.
Similarly, the source said that article 10 of APTTA draft provided exemption from routine physical Customs inspection, however, in case any irregularity, the suspected in view of explicit tampering of seals or locks of the transport unit or some reliable specific intelligence, physical inspection en route would be allowed.
“Pakistani Customs authorities were allowed to break the seals to perform a physical inspection of the cargo en route but they shall affix new seals and record this action in the Transit and Inland Customs Clearance Documents,” the source added.
