The move was intended in response to delays in the clearance of around 3500 Afghan containers at Karachi Port. PHOTO: FILE/EPA
After five days, the Afghan authorities reopened the Chaman border crossing for Pakistani containers destined for Central Asian countries on Wednesday.
Around 35 to 40 containers loaded with fruit and vegetables made their way across, according to sources in Chaman. However, most of the containers which had been refused entry into Afghanistan earlier had returned to Karachi, they added.
The containers were allowed to enter Afghanistan following talks between a delegation of transporters and Afghan officials, Chaman Customs Superintendent Iqbal Tareen told The Express Tribune.
In an official statement, the Pak-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, however, claimed their efforts had led to the reopening of the border crossing.
“Around 40 Pakistani containers carrying fruit and vegetables are being unloaded in Afghanistan,” Tareen said, adding that the freight will be reloaded into Afghan containers before reaching its final destination in Central Asia.
According to sources, the freight would remain with Afghan customs until its tax has been cleared. They said the fate of the containers and their cargo would likely clear up today (Thursday).
Meanwhile, trader Mohammad Dawood thanked the Afghan officials for reopening the border crossing for transit trade. He maintained the traders had been thrust into a severe financial crisis due to the five-day closure.
Last week, the Afghan authorities restricted around 200 containers carrying vegetables, fruit and other edibles to Central Asian countries under a transit trade agreement from entering the country.
The move was intended in response to delays in the clearance of around 3500 Afghan containers at Karachi Port. The containers have been stuck there for close to three months due to bureaucratic hurdles and despite orders by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for their release.
Kabul had earlier threatened to stop all transit trade from Pakistan until the containers at Karachi were cleared after repeated diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue failed. Meanwhile, Afghan importers had also threatened to seek UN and US intervention to secure the containers’ release from the Karachi Port authorities.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2013.
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@zalmai Unfortunately, the colonial rule you speak of never civilized your kind. You have lived like wild people and treat your hosts with disrespect with utter lack of gratefulness. When the Soviets were hunting you and your families in the serene valleys of your land.......who came to your rescue? When the Soviet mines maimed your people where did you take them for treatment? When you needed weapons, food, refuge....who gave it to you? India? No, then Pakistanis were your brothers.....you needed them. Forget colonial rule, you can't even seem to remember this recent history!
@Khattak
I don't think Nauman caught your drift. Let me spell it out for him, Khyber Pashtunkhwa is part of Afghanistan so in essence Afghan refugees are in their own country. Nauman is either too young or senile to understand colonial intrigues that split the Pashtun territories and on the other side split Punjab.
You guys are discussing afganis living in Pakistan but what about the Pakistan strategic assets living in Afghanistan since 1994?? And those guests have destroyed the education system and economy of Afghanistan. Those guests captured Kabul and ruled the country for several years. Did afganis captured Islamabad and ruled Pakistan??
@Khattak: Either you are too young or too senile to remember......but let me remind you of the millions of refugees from areas near the border and from deep nside Afghanistan who had sought refuge in Pakistan from the merciless pounding by the Soviets. These are the same people or their off springs. Like I said......one word to describe their appreciation for Pakistan's sacrifices: thankless!
@Nauman, Afghans are living on Afghan land, they are not your guest.
This issue was discussed at London between Zardari-Karzai and Cameroon ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The joint declaration clearly states that it will be resolved within 6 months.
@Usman: Whip the AFGHANS?!! Forgotten your history?
A new reminder that Afghans are essentialy thankless guests.....they have have overstayed their welcome in Pakistan and are now paying back their former hosts by slappng them in the face, time and again. If anything, Pakistan has become shamelss....even allowing these miserly Afghans to slap us!
@Usman: Your request for whipping is one sided. If PAK customs delay the release of containers it also costs fiscal loss for afghans.
Looks like strategic depth is blowing back on the Pakistanis.
Afghans should be whipped to remind them to adhere to existing agreements.