PESHAWAR: Businessmen have demended amendments in Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 2010 through consultation with the stakeholders.

This demand was made during the visit of a delegation of businessmen to the office of Director General Transit Trade, Wajid Ali here at Custom House, said in a press release here on Sunday.

The delegation was led by Coordinator Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi and comprised of Directors PAJCCI, Imtiaz Ahmad Ali, Khalid Shezad, former SVP Sarhad Chamber, Engr Manzoor Elahi, Central Vice Chairman All Pakistan Custom Agents Association, Farooq Ahmad and Vice President Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muhammad Haroon.

DG Transit Trade was accompanied by Director Transit Trade, Arbab Qaiser Hameed, Additional Directors Transit, Dr Wajid Ali, Shams Wazir and Deputy Director Transit, Maliaka Ahmad.

Speaking on the occasion, Zia Sarhadi said APTTA 2010 has several lacunas as a result of which 70 percent of transit trade has been shifted from Karachi port to Bandar Abbas in Iran.

He also demanded revival of Goods in Transit to Afghanistan (GITA) service through loose cargo via train between Peshawar to Karachi and from Karachi to Chaman. For this purpose, he continued, the SRO 121 be repealed for allowing GITA services through containers and lose cargo as well.

The documentation (DG) of all this cargo under GITA should be held under WeBOC at Azhakhel dry port so that custom clearing and forwarding agents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should also benefit from this trade.

Zia Sarhadi said in October 2023, the Ministry of Commerce through issuing SRO 1380 imposed a ban on 14 items of Afghan Transit Trade which in larger context constitute around 212 items, besides enforcement of 100 percent bank guarantee.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024