PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has shown deep concerns over the new Afghan-Pakistan transit trade agreement and urged the government to address the issues being confronted by traders and exporters, attached with the Afghan transit trade business.
SCCI President Zahidullah Shinwari expressed these views while chairing a meeting at the Chamber House. Vice President Mohammad Taimoor Shah, Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Director Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Additional Director Afghan Transit Trade Dr Saeed Jadoon, Consultant PAJCCI relating transit trade Sana Ikram, Assistant Director Torkhum Dr Ranjan, Transit Trade group President Gul Afzal Shinwari, Farooq Ahmad and Imtiaz Ahmad and the traders and exporters, who are attached with Afghan transit trade business were present on the occasion.
The SCCI president suggested that a concrete mechanism should be evolved with consultation of the chamber to extend maximum relief to members of the business community, especially attached with Afghan transit business.
The meeting discussed the problems of business community of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through the new Afghan transit trade agreement. The meeting said that the transit trade business would be shifted from Pakistan to Abbas Port in Iran, under the new transit pact, which were causing detrimental impacts on traders attached with transit businesses and Pakistan.
The meeting asked the Federal Government to resolve issues of business community, attached with transit trade and would devise policies with their consultation. The meeting further said the country being faced with billions of rupees losses on head of rents, due to non-functional of Pakistan Railways and NLC, while clearing, forwarding and border agents, attached with the Afghan transit trade also become jobless. FBR online system, the meeting said, had also flawed due to which Afghan transit trade agents being faced with enormous difficulties.
