The ministry of foreign affairs has expressed its concern over the clearance of Afghan transit trade consignments from Iranian port of Bandar Abbas instead of Karachi due to delay in clearance of transit cargo from Pakistani port. In this connection, the ministry has written a letter to FBR Chairman Salman Siddiq for taking immediate action for seriously addressing the problems of the Afghan businessmen engaged in clearance of Afghan Transit Trade consignments from Pakistan.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Monday that the ministry of foreign affairs has informed the FBR about the problems being faced by Afghan traders during clearance of their consignments under the transit trade system. According to the ministry of foreign affairs one-page letter to the FBR, since last summer the Afghan traders are facing problems in clearance of consignments at Karachi Port, which is causing demurrages to the tune of millions of dollars to the Afghan importers.
The ministry has further informed the FBR that the tax authorities should identify bottlenecks faced by Afghan importers for smooth clearance of their consignments from Karachi Port. Afghan traders are now diverting their consignments to Bandar Abbas in Iran, which has now become a major hub of Afghan transit trade.
The FBR should take immediate measures for overcoming problems of the Afghan traders for speedy clearance of consignments. In this regard, Ministry of Foreign Affairs would also submit a report to the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani taking into account response of the FBR, sources quoting the ministry's letter added.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.