Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Senate Standing Committee on State and Frontier Regions (Safron)held a line department meeting at Torkham border town and discussed various issues related to enhancing trade and movement from and to Afghanistan, sources said on Monday.
The meeting was chaired by Safron standing committing chairman senator Taj Muhammad Afridi and was attended by district police officer doctor Muhammad Iqbal, Frontier Corps, Federal board of revenue, custom and national logistic cell officials and other border authorities.
The aim of the meeting was to enhance bilateral trade ties with Afghanistan and bring ease for those who travel from and to Pakistan.
The meeting widely discussed the constraints and hurdles that had been negatively affecting trade with Afghanistan which dropped enormously Pakistani goods exported to Afghanistan in the past few years.
Senator Taj Muhammad directed all the concerned department officials to bring ease for traders, promote export and encourage Afghan businessmen to purchase Pakistani goods. He said after Corona pandemic strict rules on the name of SOPs were implemented that shrunk down business activities via the Torkham border. He said for an unnecessary condition imposed on truckers. He said due to around five thousand Pakistani trucks stranded in Afghanistan.
Taj said that Corona SoPs had been removed recently this why they want to resume trade with Afghanistan to achieve the goal.
When asked by NLC and Torkham custom officials they were of the view that the Torkham transport system and clearance are being disturbed due to the construction of the Torkham terminal complex which they can not stop. They said almost the whole Torkham locality is being under construction where buildings, terminals, offices and parks were in the initial stages so that have less space to park load trucks. They said they were focusing to make sure the maximum available space for parking lots so that they could park trucks there.
Member FBR said for all Pak-Afghan transit trade a scale machine would be installed in Jamrud which would reduce the burden of traffic flow in Torkham.
At the end of the meeting chairman Saforn senator, Taj Muhammad Afridi
directed all officials that one week they should give him suggestions to enhance trade with Afghanistan. He also stressed that every department should work and remain in its own domain. He told the meeting that he would submit the meeting minutes and report to prime minister Imran Khan.
