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Charging for transit: $1,000 fee per NATO container proposed
Fee to offset the Rs100 billion in damages caused to the road infrastructure in the past 10 years
Due to heavy traffic, the M2, the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, and the Peshawar-Torkham Highway have outlived their usefulness and require complete rehabilitation, which will cost Rs35 billion for M2 alone. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The communication ministry has proposed charging Nato forces $1,000 per container to offset the Rs100 billion in damages caused to the road infrastructure in the past 10 years, said a top government functionary.
“According to our conservative assessment, the Nato containers caused Rs100 billion in damages to the road infrastructure and have not paid a penny in return,” said Communications Secretary Anwar Ahmad Khan while briefing the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday.
The statement comes at a time when Pakistan and United States are negotiating new conditions for reopening the ground lines of communication (GLOC), the official name for the Nato supply routes through Pakistan. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has declined to accept Pakistan’s demand of $5,000 per container, inclusive of all charges.
Khan said the communication ministry has proposed to the Foreign Office to deduct a specific amount at source to avoid losses in the future.
After the meeting, Khan told The Express Tribune that the ministry has recommended $1,000, exclusive of other charges that the government wants to receive for opening the GLOC.
“General Musharraf allowed the use of Pakistan’s territory without getting legitimate benefits; the mistake will now be rectified,” said PAC Chairman Nadeem Afzal Chan.
Due to heavy traffic, the M2, the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, and the Peshawar-Torkham Highway have outlived their usefulness and require complete rehabilitation, Khan said, adding that the rehabilitation of M2 alone will cost Rs35 billion.
FWO summoned
The PAC summoned top management of the Frontier Works Organisation, the army’s construction wing, for illegally occupying 38 toll plazas under the guise of keeping an eye on US and Nato supplies. Khan disclosed that FWO says they will not vacate them until the US forces leave Afghanistan.
“They have not shared with us who has directed them to monitor Nato supplies at toll plazas but they have eaten up our Rs6.5 billion being collected as toll tax, making it impossible to repair the roads,” said Anwar.
“Surveillance is the job of the country’s intelligence agencies and the FWO is making lame excuses to plunder people’s money,” ruled the PAC.
National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Mohammad Ali Gardezi said that if the FWO did not vacate the toll plazas, it will be impossible to sign contracts for repair of M2, since the NHA wanted to rebuild the motorway on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis that requires handing over of toll plazas and other allied facilities to the parties that win the contract.
The PAC also called for explanation from a bureaucrat, who has delayed inquiry into alleged favouritism in awarding of construction contract of the M3 motorway to Husnain Construction Company.
The PAC directed secretary communication to fix responsibility of losses and recover the amount and submit a report within 15 days.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2012.
Reader Comments (24)
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And the irony is that they call Indians “Hindu Bania”
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$5.000 is acceptable as an inspection fee. The real fee will be applied after verification of contents.by two independent inspection agencies paid for by NATO amd supervised by Pakistan.
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Soon we will know how much ghairat costs.
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$1000 per container Khairat is just right price for Pakistan Ghairat. Once rentier always rentier.
The Deep State did the right thing by quickly climbing off its not-so-high-$5000 donkey.
One of the obvious conclusion: Pakistan inflates the CSF bills by 500%.
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should be more, at least $2,500 per container
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It is only right that the government recover charges for damage to Pakistan’s infrastructure. It’s a shame that Musharraf gifted away Pakistan’s transit routes without any thought of the damage done to the nation’s infrastructure. The nation should work to reopen the routes but they should accept a reasonable transport fee. Also they should work to have the NATO forces fund a revamped rail system to the border with Afghanistan so that the roads do not suffer such overuse and damage. The Western nations should understand the value of building the infrastructure of Pakistan as part of its efforts to slowly pull out. After all supplies to land locked Afghanistan will always be cheaper going through neighbouring Pakistan.
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NATO containers are nothing but commercial goods getting transported from port to a city. This may set the benchmark for other goods for e.g. transport of chienese goods from China to Central asia. With the same token Afghanistan should charge Pakistani businessman same amount for a container full of Pakistani textile to central asian countries. Whatever the price charged it should have a built in penalty like cost and punative damage for lost and pilferage of each container.
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From 6000$/container demand down to just 1000$/container ?
That’s briliiant bargaining.
How about US congress impose 300% duty on textiles ?
What rate would you propose then ?
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Finish off the remains of the dictator please! pretty please!
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Extortion under the guise of “road repair” is still extortion. The bottom line is that your govt made a deal and the USA was paying you $250 per container and now your saying that wasn’t enough and you want a retroactive adjustment going back 10 years to pay for a new road — pure nonsense. I would also point out that your most recent budget has Billions in anticipate revenue from the American’s but little (if any) corresponding expenditures to repair the road in question — just more evidence that “road repair” is a ruse and your just trying to rationalize gouging NATO/USA.
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This $5000 to $1000 price reduction : is this a Summer Sale Discount?
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So, the demand came down from $5000 to $1000. Earlier NATO used to pay $250. This is a 4 fold increase.
If US holds Pakistan will ask only $500, even. Drones will continue, Pakistan will be cut to size and all that for only few dollars extra. Not a bad compromise, eh?
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Anwar Ahmed Khan should be fired for airing his opinion of what should or should not be charged per container. It is not his job but the job of the negotiating team to first come to an agreement and then make an announcement. This looks like the right hand does not know what the left hand id doing.
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Hang on guys : it is never about money. It is a about national sovereignty on drones and apology from US, remember?
Perhaps the true nature of why the roads were not repaired in the last 10 years is coming to focus. Loot the toll plaza in the name of national security- fantastic.
PAK should be happy, if the US pays $400 / container. That is a substantial amount from the current price of $250.
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Now That is called Trade…!
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During dictatorship (10 years of musharaf era) Nato containers were allowed for free so now demanding fees for them seems illogical. Thats why USA always prefers Dictators and Generals to do their dirty work. It was this corrupt parliament which at least put a halt to NATO supply otherwise generals would have obliged to their USA masters.
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One broke country
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Its entertaining how our dear Indian trolls jump to every opportunity… Keep up the good work guys :)
As a Pakistani, I feel that Its a perfectly legitimate demand and should be set as one of the pre-condition for opening of supplies.
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Can anyone inform how many trucks are lined up from Karachi to Torkham. Multiply it by two (driver and co-driver) and then times it by six (an average size of a family). The sum of all this is feeding Paki mouths and jobs.
Second, PAC says Frontier Works Organisation, the army’s construction wing, are collecting Rs6.5 billion as toll tax. What is happening to this money and why is it not being used to repair the roads. Waiting, waiting ………..
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“$1000″ This is the only price of Pakistani leaders’ self-respect,conscience and ego and most especially importantly the price of Pakistan’s and its nation’s sovereignty,honor,grace,dignity,conscience and self-respect.
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One of the few Sane things this government has come up with. The demand is completely legitimate, infact they should try to negotiate a higher amount maybe $1,500 to $2,000 per container. Why should our taxes Finance the damage done to the roads by the NATO containers. If you want our services, you got to pay for it. Quiet Simple.
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Right from 1947 Pakistan has called a BANI State. But the facts from 1947 on wards show some thing different. Guess what?
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What has Lahore – Islamabad M2 motorway got to do with the NATO container movement? They even go from that route!!!
Why no one is talking about the most used and abused Karachi – Hyderabad so called Highway, who will repair that???
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we all know we are beggars. so it is better that we are getting something. i hope this money will be spent on the family of terrorism victims instead of the corruption.
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