Quetta traders call off strike after meeting govt team

QCCI president warns of ‘harsher measures’ if there’s no action on demands

QUETTA: The Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) has called off its strike after a government team assured it that the grievances of importers, exporters and clearing agents at the Pak-Iran Taftan border would be addressed.

A delegation including Senate Standing Committee for Commerce Chairman Mirza Khan Afridi, Standing Committee for Industries Chairman Ahmed Khan Khilji and Balochistan Assembly Speaker Qudus Bizenjo met with representatives of the province’s business community.

“We have called off our strike after the two senators and the Balochistan Assembly speaker assured us that our issues would be resolved in the next two or three days,” QCCI President Haji Ghulam Farooq told reporters.

“We will take even harsher measures if the federal government doesn’t take action on our demands,” he warned.

In Balochistan, traders’protest inflicts big revenue losses

The importers, exporters and clearing agents of Balochistan have boycotted trade activities at the Pak-Iran Taftan border for the past seven days in protest against the “misbehaviour” of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Customs officials.

The QCCI is unhappy over the “stubborn attitude” of Customs Chief Collector Chaudhry Zulfiqar and demanded immediate action against the officials “promoting smuggling” in Balochistan.

QCCI Senior Vice President Badaruddin Kakar had claimed that the FBR and Customs officials in Quetta were trying to stop legal trade in the province and encouraging smuggling.

“On the orders of Appraisement Collectorate FBR Islamabad, our goods are being stopped every second day. It seems that they do not want any trade activity for Balochistan,” Kakar alleged.

Taftan border trade remains suspended

“Despite customs clearance, trucks carrying legal imports and exports are stopped at the border. Instead of legal trade, they are deliberately promoting smuggling. This is bringing legal trade activities to a standstill,” he added.

Balochistan Assembly Speaker Bizenjo told the representatives of the business community that a meeting would be held on October 22 in Islamabad attended by senators, the FBR chairman, the Customs chief collector and QCCI members to discuss trade issues in Balochistan.

Trade activities remained suspended at Taftan border for seven days, as businessmen in the province were protesting against customs officials for seizing their import cargo, prompting an influential senator to come rushing in to break the logjam.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2019.