No to smuggling: Resumption of goods trade agreement looked forward to

PESHAWAR: Negotiations were under way to resume Goods and Transit Trade Train Agreement (GATTTA) for Afghanistan from the Karachi port so that goods are not smuggled from Afghanistan, but are transported via Peshawar.

When contacted, an Afghan trade commissioner based in Peshawar, Mir Wais Yousafzai confirmed the continuation of dialogues at different levels for the purpose. He told The Express Tribune the issue was under discussion even with Pakistani Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar.

Around nine years back, GATTTA halted services from Karachi port till Peshawar for Afghanistan. Subsequently, the service of transportation of goods went to private transporters.

This, said Mir Wais, resulted in smuggling of Afghan transit goods to many parts of Pakistan. On such grounds, the government was now considering to resume transportation of transit goods through trains up to Peshawar. From Peshawar and Aman Garh (Nowshera) dry ports, these transit goods could later on be loaded on trucks for its delivery to Afghanistan.

Mir Wais added Afghanistan favoured strengthening of trade and business relations with Pakistan.

As per the pledges Pakistan made soon after the establishment of former president Hamid Karzai’s government in December 2001, Pakistan promised to expand the railway track from Landi Kotal till Jalalabad in Afghanistan.

Besides high ranking officials, people from trade, business and industrial sectors from both the neighbouring countries were also showing extraordinary interest in resumption of transportation of transit goods through trains from Karachi to Afghanistan via Chaman and Torkham borders.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2016.