Decrease in revenue blamed on slow clearance at Torkham border

LANDIKOTAL: The Customs Agents Associations and traders on Sunday said that slow documentation process of trucks transporting goods from and to Afghanistan led to decrease in revenue collected at Torkham border crossing.

Talking to The News, president of the association Mirajuddin Shinwari, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Shahid Hussain and Frontier Custom Association President Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said that the Pak-Afghan bilateral and transit trade had slowed down owing to sluggish clearing process at Torkham border. They said the unnecessary checking of the trucks at Torkham border created traffic problems on Peshawar-Torkham highway.

Shahid Hussain urged the National Logistics Cell (NLC) to increase the number of scanners and accelerate clearance of export, import and transit trade goods vehicles as well as empty trucks to boost trade between the two neighbouring countries.

He said the traders, importers and exporters were facing financial losses due to these difficulties. Shahid Hussain said the customs authorities at Torkham timely issued gate passes to the trucks but the clearance process of vehicles loaded with export and import goods was slow.

He said the slow clearance had affected transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said the collection of money at Shakas checkpost, Bara and Takhtabaig checkposts was illegal. He called upon the authorities to take notice of the collection of the money.