ATTA Officials asked to ensure trade of perishable items

Federal Minister for Finance has directed the officials of Federal Board of Revenue and Ministry of Communications to ensure no hold up of perishable items meant for Afghanistan through Afghan Transit Trade. This he said while presiding over a meeting here on Thursday to further ease the process of transporting of vegetables, foods, spices and other items.
The meeting was called for speedy transportation to and from Afghanistan through Wagah Border and Karachi Port. It was also decided that the report of the daily movement of containers carrying perishable items crossing Pak-Afghan border be submitted to the Minister for Finance. Customs authorities, being the facilitator of Afghan Transit Trade, shall start working on the issuance of guarantee that is for 60 days for perishable items and file a report in this regard so that a regime be incorporated for mutual satisfaction of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The other items which were discussed in the meeting include making more viable of the utilisation of the dry-port at Peshawar, strengthening of the customs control and monitoring of the Afghan Transit Trade so that no leakage takes place from Karachi to Torkhum and backward, and so on from Afghan border to Wagah Border. In order to make the transit regime more and more efficient, the transportation capacity between Karachi Port to Torkhum border was also brought into consideration. Among others, the meeting was attended by Senator Ilyas Bilour, Secretaries of Finance, Communications and Revenue and representatives of NLC, and other high officials.-PR