Deeply concerned over continued trade and transit disputes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials from the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on Monday accused Pakistan of not abiding by its commitments over the Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade and Transit Agreement (APTTA).
Pakistan, by violating APTTA, is still creating issues for Afghan traders and they do not allow Afghan trade convoys to travel through Gawadar port, the ACCI said on Monday.
Referring to ACCI's concerns, the Afghan Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI) said Monday that it is working with various institutions and the private sector to find a settlement to the ongoing issues facing the transit and trade sectors.
According to ACCI, based on the APTTA agreement, 360,000 Pakistani trucks enter Afghanistan annually and bring in more than 20 million tons of goods - to Afghanistan and onward to central Asian countries. However, only 8,000 Afghan vehicles enter Pakistan each year to transfer exported goods.
Over the past five years, Afghan businessmen have paid millions of dollars in fines to Pakistan for staying more than the legal time, ACCI said.
In some cases, Pakistan imposes extra taxes on Afghan goods which are higher than the actual price of the products, head of finance department of ACCI Tawfiq Dawari said, adding that this issue is forcing Afghan traders to leave their goods in Pakistan and return home.
It is said that in recent months Pakistan has imposed additional restrictions on Afghan traders which include special trade permits while entering Pakistan along with bank statements. Afghan traders also have to pass through several check points to reach Karachi port. But, the Pakistani traders do not face such issues inside Afghanistan and they do business without restrictions.
The ACCI has called on government to take steps and find a solution to the ongoing crisis facing the Afghan traders.
Some Afghan traders have said that Pakistani drivers are paid up to $4,000 by Afghan businessmen to transfer their merchandise to Karachi port.
"Currently, Pakistani vehicles transfer our goods to Afghanistan and charge $4,000 dollar from Karachi to Torkham, this is because there is no competition and only Pakistani trucks operate on the route," Afghan businessman Haris Shafiq said.
Talking on the trade and transit issues, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries has said that relevant Afghan institutions are working on an appropriate strategy to overcome the issues and to reach an agreement with Pakistan.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/4410
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