Ashrafuddin Pirzada
TORKHAM: Pak-Afghan Customs agents and officials held a meeting and discussed various trade-related issues and role of communities in strengthening business ties between the two countries.
The meeting was chaired by the Chief Collector of Customs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Fayyaz Anwar.
Custom collector appraisement Peshawar Muhammad Ashfaq, additional collector Torkham Muhammad Rizwan, additional collector Torkham Asima Javid, assistant collector Torkham Ammad, Muhib, Superintendent Sadiq Akbar, Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries director Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Jawad Hussaon Kazmi and Torkham custom agents association representatives also attended the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Collector Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Fayyaz Anwar inspected various customs departments and issued directives to the customs officials to facilitate traders and take the necessary steps to ease the movement of heavy vehicles. He also visited Torkham dry port which is in the final phase of completion.
The official was informed about the difficulties being faced at the Torkham border due to the poor performance of the police, Frontier Corps, NLC etc. He said Pakistani custom was committed to facilitating traders, adopting modern equipment for the betterment and enhancing bilateral business ties with Afghanistan and Central Asian states. Fayyaz Anwar assured the Torkham customs clearance agents that their genuine problems would be addressed according to priority.
Ziaul Haq Sarhadi told the customs chief and his team that customs and its sister departments should address the hindrances that create problems for traders in Torkham, Ghulam Khan and the Kharlachi border. He said that on the name of the border management frontier corps and National Logistic Cell staff also checking vehicles that were not in their domain. He said it would take time and create problems for transporters and traders.
Ziaul Haq Sarhadi urged that a container take 10 to 12 days to get cleared in Karachi port causing damages and detention charges.
