Traders assured of ‘ease’ in Pak-Afghan trade

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Asim Ahmad on Saturday assured the business community of Peshawar that all the issues related to trade with Afghanistan would be resolved.

He held a meeting with businessmen about issues pertaining to commerce and trade with a special focus on trade with Afghanistan.

The discussion took place during the visit of FBR chairman to Peshawar.

The business delegation was led by former Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) senior vice president and Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Director Ziaul Haq Sarhadi.

In the meeting, detailed discussion was held on issues pertaining to commerce and trade and problems being faced by the business community in dealing with different departments.

Sarhadi pointed out that despite the issuance of a notification regarding the de-stuffing of containers, the shifting of goods to local containers for saving demurrage charged on importers was not being carried out.

The business community was told that issue was in the inclusion phase of FBR module and would be resolved soon. Other issues like problems being faced during the clearance of goods at the Pak-Afghan border were also discussed during the meeting. The FBR chairman informed the delegation about measures being taken for providing ease to the business community.

He noted that Pakistan was passing through a difficult phase and urged all the segments of society to play their role in resolving the issues faced by the country.

He said the government focused on the promotion of commerce and trade to stabilise the economy and vowed to take all possible steps in this regard.

Later, Sarhadi expressed his gratitude to the FBR chairman for sparing time with the business community and paying heed to their problems. He assured Ahmad of all support on behalf of the traders for overcoming the prevailing financial crisis in the country.

PAJCCI SVP, Khalid Shezad, Vice President Frontier Customs Agents Association, Imtiaz Ahmad Ali and President Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Syed Jawad Ahmad Kazmi attended the meeting.

A number of officials including Chief Collector Customs K-P, Muhammad Salim, Collector Custom Enforcement, Dr Moeen Din Ahmad Wani, Collector Customs Appraisment, Ashfaq Ahmad, Director Transit Trade, Arbab Qaiser Hameed, Director General Custom Intelligence, Faiz Ahmad Chadhar, Director Custom Intelligence K-P, Shafqat Niazi, Collector Custom DI Khan, Yousaf Haider, PS Chairman FBR, Khawaja Khurram accompanied the FBR chairman FBR during the meeting. APP

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2023.