The Federal Minister for Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has directed
the officials of FBR and ministry of communications to ensure smoothly
supply of perishable items meant for Afghanistan through Afghan Transit Trade Agreement.
This he said while presiding over a meeting here on Thursday to
further ease the process of transporting of vegetables, foods, spices
and other items.
The meeting was called for speedy transportation to and from
Afghanistan through Wagah Border and Karachi Port. It was also decided
that the report of the daily movement of the containers carrying
perishable items crossing Pak-Afghan border be submitted to the
Minister of Finance. The customs authorities being the facilitator of
the Afghan Transit Trade shall start working on the issuance of
guarantee that is for sixty days for perishable items and file a report
in this regards so that a regime be incorporated for mutual
satisfaction of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The other items which were discussed in the meeting include, making
more viable of the utilization of the Dry Port at Peshawar,
strengthening of the customs control and monitoring of the Afghan
Transit Trade so that no leakage takes place from Karachi to Torkhum
and backward, and so on from Afghan border to Wagah Border. In order to
make the transit regime more and more efficient, the transportation
capacity between Karachi Port to Torkhum border was also brought into
consideration.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Senator Ilyas Bilour,
Secretaries of Finance, Communications and Revenue and representatives
of National Logistic Cell, and other high officials. SANA
