Nasib Shah Shinwari
LANDIKOTAL: The token strike of all customs clearance agents in Torkham continued on the fourth consecutive day which caused hundreds of loaded trucks with import and export goods stranded on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border in Torkham on Sunday.
According to the customs clearance agents Torkham president Zarqeeb Shinwari held several meetings with the customs house department officials to resolve issues of the clearance agents pertaining to the import and export goods clearance at Torkham but they have failed to resolve these issues.
Before launching the token strike, Zarqeeb Shinwari, the president of all Torkham custom clearance agents association, talking to a joint meeting of custom clearance agents, customs house department officials and the local administration said that the customs department has implemented the WEBOC (web-based one customs), the online import and export goods declaration process but the custom house authorities have not provided fast internet and electricity at Torkham.
He said that the lack of a fast internet facility, expert staff at Weboc system, and the unavailability of electricity at Torkham has created problems for agents to quickly carry out the online declaration process of import and export goods.
The customs department officials have failed to appoint more staff to the Weboc system at Torkham, thus they have also not provided fast internet at Torkham which compelled the clearance agents to launch a token strike for the last four days.
Talking to local media men at Torkham, a truck driver Zameer said that his truck was loaded with fresh fruits and was on the way from Peshawar to Kabul when stuck due to the token strike of the clearance agents.
The loaded fresh fruits in my truck would soon get rotten if the clearance agents did not end their token strike. The driver stated and added that the token strike was causing more financial loss to both transporters and traders of both countries.
Talking to local media persons Zarqeeb Shinwari, the president of all Torkham customs clearance agents said that the traders and agents at Torkham were facing various issues but the customs department officials were not serious about resolving their issues which was causing a big loss to Pakistan’s economy.
All Torkham Customs Clearance Agents Association representatives have issued a list of demands which explains that the Weboc system was unacceptable unless the availability of electricity, fast internet, and the deployment of extra staff at Customs House Torkham.
The list also mentions that the Fumigation decision had already been taken back by the core commander and we(the customs clearance agents) are also rejecting it because it is illegal on zero point.
The agents have also demanded in the list that when the customs department declared the truck clear then there was no need for the other departments to search the vehicles or take the vehicles into their custody.
Some more demands were also written in the list
The customs department should issue a border pass to all customs clearance agents at Torkham to facilitate them so that they could cross via the Torkham border into Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Permission should be granted to trucks laden with mixed goods like it has been granted at Ghulam Khan and Kharlachi crossing points.
More than 200 contravention cases in the transaction section should be ended as these cases are illegal.
More staff should be deployed at the customs house to speed up the import and export clearance process at Torkham.
The clearance agents will not be responsible before import clearance and after export clearance.
One-time examination of each truck.
The export module should be made like the import module and the driver and truck entry should also be ended.
Meanwhile, it has been observed that the local labourers, shopkeepers, drivers, and hotel owners at Torkham had suffered a lot due to the suspension of trade activities between Pakistan and Afghanistan and demanded the customs department officials settle down issues with customs clearance agents that their daily business could not be suffered more and they could earn livelihood for their family.
