Stoppage of commercial goods at Pak-Afghan border: traders suffering huge losses

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, (SCCI) has said that the traders are suffering huge losses owing to stoppage of hundreds of commercial goods and items transit to Afghanistan at Torkham border and Takht Baig Checkpost.
SCCI, President Afan Aziz and vice president, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, while talking to this scribe on Wednesday said that the Frontier Corps had stopped trucks loaded with cooking oil, brake oil, Mobil oil, motor oil, grease, and local export material like Chemical for Carpet washing etc for the last many days.
"We are not against the government decision to stoppage of Nato-containers supply to Afghanistan, but it should simplify the process of checking and clearance for the commercial cargo, he maintained. He said that the each truck was suffering losses of Rs 3,000 per day, whereas containers of different shipping companies were also losing $15 to 30 due to stoppage of trucks at Afghan border.
Sarhadi who is also chairman of Frontier Custom Agent Group said that the Political administration, Militia force, and customs authority have authorised to check the transit goods bonded to Afghanistan at Pak-Afghan border, but the authorities might be doubtful about commercial goods, if any logistic weren't related to Nato supply.
However, he explained that there was not found any Nato goods in commercial consignments to Afghanistan over the past two months. He said that the custom was authorised to carry out checking of commercial goods shipment. He informed that SCCI delegation had already conveyed its reservations about the unnecessary stoppage of commercial items at Torkham border during meeting with Collector Custom, Jehanzeb Mehmood and FC Colonel (GS), Imran Niazi. But, he said there was not taken any practical steps in this regard.
Similarly, he said that SCCI had informed through letter to Federal Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik, Federal Minister for Commerce, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, and Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Masood Kauser to immediate take up issue with the relevant authorities. He said the checking of commercial cargo was carried out on routine basis and traders are facing enormous financial losses due to prolonged stoppage of their shipments.
SCCI president, Afan Aziz demanded of the authorities to allow for departure of the commercial goods trucks impounded from several days at Torkham border to boost up Pak-Afghan transit trade. Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, has lauded the efforts of political agent Khyber Agency for termination of corrupt officials from the Takht Baig Check post and termed that the step would be benefited for the business and trade community of the province. He expressed the hope that the newly appointed staff would perform their duties with honest and full dedication.