ACCI Urges Pakistan to Lift Transit Restrictions

The officials of the Afghan chamber of commerce and investment in a meeting with Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, called on Pakistan’s government to allow goods from merchants through Pakistan according to international transit rules.

Mohammad Younus Momand, the first deputy minister of the chamber, said that almost $2 billion worth of goods are imports from the Karachi port to Afghanistan and the restrictions will cause significant financial losses to businessmen.

“Based on the fundamental laws of the transit of investors’ property, and according to the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTA) and SAARC laws, the transit property of investors should be allowed,” Momand said.

It has been nearly a month since the added restrictions on transit goods from Afghanistan through Pakistan, and the problems of the businessmen have not been solved.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce in a newsletter announced transit restrictions on some commercial goods to Afghanistan.

Goods transported to Afghanistan via Pakistan on the “high seas” should have the permission to be re-exported to Afghanistan from Pakistan, the newsletter said.

But the joint chamber of commerce of Pakistan and Afghanistan says that the restrictions of Pakistan on transit goods of Afghanistan in nearly a month caused losses of millions of dollars to the traders and if this continues, an alternative way to transfer their goods will have to be found.

“The conditions imposed by Pakistan on the transit goods of Afghan investors is causing more than 3,000 containers to stop in Karachi port and with each passing day a fine is added to each container,” said Naqibullah Safi, Chief Executive of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate is making sure that they are in talks with Pakistan to address the challenges of businessmen.

“We spoke with the Pakistani side to remove restrictions as soon as possible and to allow Afghan commercial goods to enter Afghanistan and to allow the goods to be transited,” Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Earlier, Pakistan closed the Torkham crossing for 10 days, which has caused huge financial losses to traders of both sides.