Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Hundreds of loaded and empty trucks have been stranded on both sides of the Torkham border as Pakistani authorities have enforced the Temporary Admission Documents( TAD)compulsory for truck drivers from August 1, sources said on Friday.
Border authorities said as per the government directives Afghan and Pakistani drivers who frequently travel across the border must have Temporary Admission Documents to cross the Torkham border.
Torkham customs officials made public the condition that from August 1, Afghan and Pakistani drivers must possess Temporary Admission Documents (TAD) to travel between Pakistan and Afghanistan via the Torkham gate.
Customs officials said without these documents, no truck drivers and their crew members would be allowed to travel from and to Pakistan. When the drivers were asked to process the temporary travel documents, the customs officials said that drivers who obtained these documents on time would not face travel restrictions.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Peshawar Customs House have also issued notifications regarding this requirement. Implementing the TAD requirement for cargo drivers at Torkham, hundreds of vehicles on both sides were halted, impacting imports and exports.
Earlier this year, on March 29, Pakistan removed passport and visa requirements for Afghan drivers and agreed with the Taliban government to make TAD documents mandatory in the coming months.
Custom agents and traders have appealed to the Pakistani authorities to allow the loaded trucks stranded on both sides of the Torkham border to transport the goods on time and gradually issue the cards.
Trader and custom agent Qari Nazeem Gul Shinwari said it would be better to issue TAD cards to each driver on the spot when they reach the Torkham border. He said conditions for the TAD card must be easy for drivers to fulfill.
Meanwhile, hundreds of loaded and empty trucks proceeded toward their destinations after authorities issued them temporary travel documents.
