Pak-Afghan chamber of commerce officials appeal for resuming trade activities with Afghanistan

TORKHAM:Trade activities suspended with Afghanistan due to closure of border

By Ashrafuddin Pirzada 

LANDIKOTAL: Requesting for resuming trade route via Torkham border, the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) office bearers on Saturday said that closure of border with Afghanistan is not only affecting traders’ business of the two countries but it also hitting blow of billions of rupees  losses to the national exchequers of both the countries every day.

Talking to The News on Saturday PAJCCI senior vice president  Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, said that closure of Torkham border a large number of traders and businessmen at both sides of the border have been lost their private capital during the past one week. He said thousands of shops,hotels,trading companies and other private office have closed down due to the closure of the border with Afghanistan. Sarhadi said around two thousands taxi cabs and mini-coaches being run on Kabul-Torkham road have been parked at various homes.

“I am afraid that the heavy trucks loaded with different goods waiting on the Afghan side of the Torkham border would go wasted due to the harsh weather and unavailability of cold storage in Afghanistan” said Sarhadi.

He said closure of the border has caused billion rupees losses to national economies of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said due to the unrealistic foreign policies of the governments trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan have severely suffered. Zia said trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has come down to the 1.5 billion rupees which was up to 2.5 billion rupees before the closure of the border.

Zia ul Haq Sarhadi appealed from the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan that they should revive trade policies to increase import and export with Afghanistan and central Asian countries.  

Quoting the international trade regulations and the official statement of the Afghanistan ambassador Doctor Umar Zakhilwal, Sarhadi said that closure of the Pak-Afghan border was the clear violation of Afghan Transit Trade Agreement(ATTA).  

He claimed that no illegal goods could be transported to via Torkham border as Pakistani officials have installed an online system checking to catch illegal person and goods while being enter into Pakistan.

 Sarhadi said he welcomed Pakistan for the extensive security measures at the border with Afghanistan but he was also in favor to enhance bilateral trade relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

Zia said three 300 Afghan transit trade goods containers have arrived at Karachi port few days ago. He said due to the closure of Torkham border the containers yet not dispatched to Afghanistan. He said if the goods packed containers were further delayed would cause more billions of rupees losses to businessmen capitals across the border.

Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) official appealed from the Pakistani and Afghanistan governments to resolve held a dialogue and reopened the border so that they could resume trade activities via Pak-Afghan border.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam(F)Fata leaders have appealed from the government to reopen the border with Afghanistan as it snatched jobs from thousands laborers and severely affected business taking place with central Asian countries.

JUI-F Naib Khyber Agency Ameer,Qari Azeem Gul and general secretary Qari Mussarat Shah Shinwari told this in a press conference held in Landikotal press club on Saturday. They said that if the border was not opened for trade activities they thousands of families affiliated with border trade would be compelled to migrate to the other cities of Pakistan. Azeem said 90 percent of tribal people at various level were doing their businesses with Afghanistan and earn for their families.

Qari Mussarat said hundreds of local youth were earning while working as daily wagers but now they were jobless. He said if they were deprived could go into  the hands of anti-state elements.