Govrnment urged to make Azakhel Dryport functional

PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Standing Committee on Railways Chairman Ziaul Haq Sarhadi on Thursday said Pakistan Railways dry port at Azakhel was situated in an important location and urged the government to make it functional to bolster exports.

Talking to reporters here, he said the dryport in Nowshera district would help boost Pak-Afghan trade, generate employment opportunities and promote business as well as industrialisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for its being close to the CPEC route.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said that about Rs600 million were spent on Azakhel Dryport that has been established on 28 acres of land GT Road and its full operationalisation would enable the investors to showcase their products at local and international markets.

He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including gems, marble, honey, carpet and furniture and Pakistan’s economic issues could be addressed if these resources were fully tapped by exploring new markets and granting incentives to its traders.

“KP is exporting items like furniture, minerals, marbles, matches and honey but exporters are facing a lot of problems owing to lack of cargo train in Azakhel Dryport to carry the exported goods to Karachi port for onward destinations.

At the time of its inauguration by Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, the businessmen were assured that one window operation service would be provided besides other modern facilities at the new facility and a special export cargo train would be started between Peshawar and Karachi.

Zaiul Haq Sarhadi, who is also the President of Frontier Customs Agents Association (FCAA), said that Azakhel Dryport was located near Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, Rashaki Special Economic Zone and Bacha Khan International Airport, which could prove a game-changer to increase trade volume among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asians Republics (CARs).