PESHAWAR:Provincial Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation Taj Muhammad Afridi, on the directives of Interim Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, held meeting with different stakeholders in which he was briefed about the current trade issues that caused shrinked down export and export with Afghaniatam via Torkham border.
Minister for relief and rehabilitation Taj Muhammad Afridi chaired the meeting held at deputy commissioner office on Tuesday.
Pakistan Customs,National Logistic Cell, police, Federal Board of Revenue officials and other stakeholders including traders,Torkham custom clearing agents association representatives also attended the meeting.Deputy Commissioner of district Khyber Abdul Nasir Khan also attended the meeting.
The agenda of the meeting was to boost up trade activities with Afghanistan and address issues being faced by traders and transporters.
Minister Taj Muhammad Afridi was briefed about restractions and hurdles for transporters and exporters at Torkham border. Taj Muhammad Afridi showed his grief concern over the shrinking trade activities via Torkham border. He said bilateral trade with Afghanistan dropped down rappidly in the past one year.
He said border management committee was responsible for the deteriorate trade situation via Torkham border.He said customs, federal Board of Revenue,National logistic Cell and Frontier Corps personnel violate the set departmental rules of business and go beyond their domain that had created problems for traders.
He said due to interferance in each other’s offical domain traders have minimized their export and import via Torkham border.
Taj Muhammad Afridi said due to tug-of-war between the government departments export 70 percent dropped with Afghanistan.He said trade via Torkham generate a handsome revenue that playing a vital role in Pakistan’s economy. He said due a number of problems including misuse of authority by each government official was the core issue that had to be addressed.
He urged all the line departments to jointly work within the limits of their respectives domaims to help increase trade volume with Afghanistan.
The provoncial minister Taj Muhammad Afridi said if the situatiom remain the same trade activities via Torkham border point would compel businessmen and tradsrs to stop import and export via Torkham border.
