Absence of Certificate of Origin: Hundreds of trucks stuck at Torkham border

ISLAMABAD: Over 750 vehicles, loaded with soapstone and coal, imported from Afghanistan have been stuck at Torkham border since last two weeks due to absence of Certificate of Origin, importers and officials confirmed.

The officials deployed at Torkham said that they had been directed by the high-ups not to clear the soapstone and coal loaded vehicles, imported from across the border without presenting a Certificate of Origin (COO).

The purpose of the imposition of fresh regulations implemented recently was to confirm the real origin of the product, they added.

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The unexpected restriction introduced by the custom officials multiplied miseries of importers and other trading communities, clearing agents and transporters said.

All Torkham Clearing Agents Association President Mujib Shinwari, while talking to Business Recorder on telephone, said that without their consultation, the Customs Department made mandatory the production of Certificate of Origin.

He said that it was considered an obligatory document during the clearing process of soapstone and coal, imported from Afghanistan, stating it was unfair to the business community.

The Customs officials should clear the stranded hundreds of loaded trucks through the previous clearing system and then convene a joint meeting of all the stakeholders to sort out an acceptable solution for the matter, he suggested.

Shinwari, however, disclosed that earlier Customs Department had exempted vehicles from presenting such document.

He maintained that sudden implementation of the new regulation will certainly suffer Pak-Afghan bilateral trading.

Because of the new Customs rule, drivers of the stranded vehicles were badly suffering and most of them spent Eid-ul-Azha on the Landi-Kotal–Torkham road, he pointed out.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025