Equipment crawls through Afghanistan to Pakistan

Logistics company says a lack of vehicles makes things worse.

PESHAWAR: As containers carrying Nato supplies to Afghanistan continue to be easy targets for militants, the reverse journey is also not easy. Logistics companies contracted to relocate Nato equipment from Afghanistan to the Karachi port say less dangerous but obstructive ground realities slow their pace.

A representative from one such company, contracted to remove supplies as US troops withdraw, said the evacuation process takes on a snail’s pace as there are not enough authorised cargo vehicles.



Logistic companies are also limited by the few points of handover – the place where Nato releases its cargo. Companies are contracted only to pick consignments from areas where local security, rather than Nato, is in charge.

According to a system introduced by the Federal Board of Revenue, only truckers who are bound to work with one of 40 registered logistic companies are used for this process. This reduces the total number of vehicles at hand.



These trucks then carry the Nato load to Torkham and Chaman borders where the cargo is loaded on to another vehicle to continue to the Karachi Port, said the official.

The United States plans on using the ground-supply line through Pakistan to remove roughly 50% of the equipment in Afghanistan. Only two borders are in play – Torkham (touching Khyber Agency) and Chaman (in Balochistan). Sensitive inventory, such as arms and ammunition, will be excised directly through air bases in Afghanistan.

“Some logistic companies in Pakistan were given these contracts for six months to one year. We take the equipment only from points where Nato forces have handed over security measures to local forces,” said a marketing employee at one of the logistics companies, wishing to remain anonymous.

Despite being asked, the official refused to name the companies which had been contracted to transport Nato goods, citing security concerns.

“When companies are given such contracts, they do not have a time limit for the evacuation as it all depends on the availability of vehicles. We cannot give a fixed time in which we can transport Nato equipment,” added the official to the list of uncertainties which plague the ground supply route.

“A convoy of 400 cargo vehicles standing at the Karachi port will supply some goods to Nato bases in Afghanistan. On their return journey, the vehicles will bring back equipment left behind by forces which are no longer in the country as a result of the drawdown.”

“Our company is using approximately 100 vehicles for Nato supplies. But I don’t know how many will be used by the remaining logistics companies. We have fixed Rs350,000 per vehicle for the Peshawar-to-Karachi leg.”

The official said Nato had already signed an agreement with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan for evacuating vehicles and military gear.

On June 4, 2012 Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen signed an agreement with the above mentioned countries to bypass Pakistan. In response to the death of 24 soldiers at the Salala check post – attributed to Nato – Pakistan had closed all ground routes.

Nato has started handing over security control of regions in Afghanistan to the Afghan Army, hoping to exit the country by the end of 2014.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2013.