Pakistan on Sunday began implementing a scheme to allow Afghan transporters to enter Pakistan on Temporary Entry Permit (TAD) at the border to facilitate speedy bilateral trade between the two countries, traders said.
A senior official of the Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) spoke about the first Afghan vehicle passing through the TAD at Karlachi border crossing in Kurram tribal district. Dawn.
PAJCCI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial coordinator Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul has issued TADs to the Afghan drivers and cleaners.
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Consulate in Peshawar will issue the same documents to Pakistani transporters, Afghanistan Consul General Hafiz Mohibullah said. Dawn.
An Afghan diplomat said officials from Kabul had arrived at the consulate to issue the TAD to the Pakistani carrier.
“This is good news for bilateral trade,” Sarhadi said.
However, he pointed out that transporters involved in the transportation of goods are not included in the TAD regime.
In March, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to introduce TAD for commercial vehicle drivers during talks in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Mohibullah also said that Afghan and Pakistani cargo vehicles can now travel to any city in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Former Commerce Secretary Mohammad Qurum Agha visited Afghanistan from March 24-27 and made progress in bilateral trade and transit talks with Afghanistan’s Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi.
Documentation for transporters became complicated, leading to the closure of the Torkham border in January this year.
Afghanistan closed its Torkham border crossing on January 13 after Pakistan implemented a new policy requiring Afghan drivers to have a valid visa to enter the country.
The border was opened 10 days after Pakistan reversed its decision.
Drivers in Afghanistan and Pakistan will be provided with the TAD during a one-year trial period starting from June 2024.
Afghanistan also welcomed the decision.
“We see this as a very positive development that will facilitate smooth bilateral trade between the two countries,” said Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Commerce. Dawn today.
He said he was satisfied that decisions made during trade talks in Kabul in March were being implemented.
“I am confident that other decisions will also be implemented. The Afghan side is also implementing the decisions,” Jawad said from Kabul.
Pakistan’s commerce ministry officials told traders at a recent conference in Peshawar that bilateral trade involves around 6,000 Afghan-registered vehicles and 9,000 Pakistan-registered vehicles.
The introduction of TAD will facilitate and simplify procedures, boosting trade between the two countries.
No progress on APTTA
There has been no progress on revising the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
At the Kabul meeting in March, the two sides decided that a revised agreement should be reached within two months.
The APTTA, which was revised in 2010, expired in August 2021 before the Taliban took control of Kabul.
The two sides were unable to agree on a new draft during the tenure of former President Ashraf Ghani.
