Pakistan Border Trade

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Pakistan, Uzbekistan start goods delivery

Two countries implement pilot project for goods supply via Afghanistan


Our Correspondent May 13, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani transport company Best Trans Private Limited and Uzbekistan freight forwarding company Asad Trans have for the first time implemented a pilot trans-Afghan logistics project for direct delivery of Uzbekistan’s export goods to Pakistan through Afghanistan.

According to a statement issued by the embassy of Uzbekistan in Pakistan, with the support of the Ministry of Commerce, the partners of Asad Trans and Best Trans since January 2021 had been working on a project for direct delivery (through Afghanistan) of Uzbekistan goods to Pakistani cities according to the suppliers-importers warehouse scheme.

The transportation of Uzbekistan goods via transit was in line with the trans-Afghan transport and logistics project initiated by the president of Uzbekistan.

The successful implementation of the project will significantly reduce the cost of transportation, including the shipments from Uzbek-Afghan border and subsequently through Afghan-Pakistan border in accordance with the TIR Carnets Convention of 1975, members of which are Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On May 11, 2021, a cargo vehicle with Uzbek licence plates safely crossed the Afghan transit route in two days and reached Torkham checkpoint in Peshawar. After the completion of customs clearance, the truck will reach the importer in Faisalabad.

The vehicle transports from Uzbekistan processed leather products (wet blue) for Pakistani leather factories. Furthermore, regular direct delivery of Uzbekistan’s export goods (coal, mineral, fertiliser and textile) to Pakistani cities of Lahore, Karachi, Taxila and Faisalabad has been planned.

Partners of the two companies are planning to increase the number of freight vehicles up to 50 units by the end of the year to ensure a smooth supply of goods through Uzbek trucks.

According to Best Trans Private Limited Chairman Ramiz Rabbani, the entry of the first Uzbek truck into Pakistan is a historical event, since before that in Uzbekistan-Pakistan economic relations the delivery of Uzbek export goods directly to Pakistan through freight transport was not implemented.

He hoped that the expected signing of inter-governmental agreements between Uzbekistan and Pakistan on preferential trade would provide a fresh impetus to the development of bilateral trade.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2021.

 

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The Pakistan and Uzbekistan transit trade and export of goods to Pakistan through Afghanistan was launched here on Tuesday.
According to a press release from Ministry of Commerce, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Pakistan together with Pakistani transport company, Best Trans Pvt. Ltd., and Uzbek freight forwarding company, Asad Trans, for the first time implemented pilot trans-Afghan logistics project for the direct delivery of Uzbek export goods to Pakistan through the territory of Afghanistan.
The project launched as a joint began working on a project for direct delivery through Afghanistan of Uzbek goods to Pakistani cities according to the supplier’s warehouse – importer’s warehouse scheme

 

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Pakistan to reopen borders for trade with China

Anadolu
June 03, 2021

Pakistan is set to reopen its border with neighboring China for trade from Thursday after a gap of one and a half years due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, an official confirmed.

Faiyaz Ahmad, the deputy commissioner of the northern Hunza district, which borders China, told reporters on Wednesday that the border will be reopened only for unilateral trade.

The border between Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region and China's Xinjiang province was closed early last year, following the emergence of COVID-19.

According to Ahmad, Pakistani traders would be allowed to only import goods from China.
Restrictions on exports to the neighboring country will remain in place until further orders.

 

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Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan - IEA forces capture the Wesh–Chaman border crossing, one of the major international trade & transit border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan today.

 

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Pakistan reopens Chaman border for pedestrians


The Frontier Post

CHAMAN: Pakistan has reopened its border with Afghanistan in Chaman briefly to allow stranded people from both countries return home.

The decision was taken for people crossing the border on foot. Hundreds of women, children, and patients were stuck on both sides after the border was closed earlier this week.

Pakistan closed the Friendship Gate indefinitely after Taliban forces claimed they had captured the border crossing of Spin Boldak and Wesh area.

According to officials, on Saturday, the government contacted the Afghan Taliban and temporarily opened the Chaman Pak-Afghan border for pedestrians in a “spirit of goodwill”.

Hundreds of trucks loaded with Afghan transit goods and other items were, however, not allowed to cross the border.

On Thursday, Pakistan border guards used tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who tried to storm the border crossing with Afghanistan.

 

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CHAMAN: To allow thousands of Afghans to go back to their homeland through the border town Spin Boldak, Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened its southern crossing with Afghanistan.

"We have opened the Chaman border... allowing crowds of up to 4,000 Afghans including women and children to cross over to Afghanistan to celebrate Eid al-Adha with their families, purely on humanitarian grounds," a border official, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

People would be allowed to cross until the evening, with the possibility the border would open again tomorrow, the official added.

Muhammad Tayyab, a local paramilitary official, said the decision was taken because of "relative calm on the other side", but said the crossing would remain closed to trade.

An AFP photographer said the gates were rushed by families as soon as they opened.

Qudratullah, 30, who lives in neighbouring Kandahar province in Afghanistan was returning after taking his father to Karachi for a heart bypass three months ago.

"I have to come back (to Pakistan) for a routine check-up of my father, but let's see if I am able to come back or not," he said.

Muhammad Khan, 50, who works as a labourer in Quetta, said he had been waiting at the border trying to reach Afghanistan for the Muslim holiday Eid.

"I will definitely try to come back after Eid because there is unemployment in Afghanistan and I will not be able to get any job there," he said.

 

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Torkham border reopens for trade after brief closure

Ibrahim Shinwari
August 16, 2021

A truck enters Afghanistan at Torkham border crossing on Sunday.

KHYBER: The all-important Torkham border was reopened for bilateral trade with Afghanistan on Sunday after remaining closed for several hours when Afghan Taliban took control of their side of the border crossing early in the morning.

Landi Kotal Assistant Commissioner Akbar Iftikhar told Dawn that the border security officials agreed to allow trade consignments, mostly perishable food items loaded in trucks and containers, to move across the border after reaching an understanding with Taliban representatives on Afghan side of the border.
He said that trucks loaded with Afghan import items, mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, also came to Pakistan after reaching a verbal understanding between the two sides.

Hundreds of vehicles loaded with multiple trade goods and food items got stranded near Torkham after receiving news about the ‘fall’ of Nangarhar province of Afghanistan to Afghan Taliban late on Saturday evening and their subsequent ‘seizure’ of the Torkham border crossing early in the morning. Pedestrian movement was, however, closed as before.

Farman Khan, a local resident, told Dawn earlier in the morning that the border crossing became nearly deserted with only army and Frontier Corps positioned there while the Customs and Nadra offices were almost vacated as traders, transporters and custom clearing agents were not allowed to go near the border.

The taxi stand too was deserted as pedestrian movement was completely halted. The local market, restaurants and money changer outlets were also closed.


Earlier, local security officials said that they had to temporarily close the border owing to security reasons after Taliban took control of Afghan side of the border. They, however, said that they had not received any formal orders for closure of the border from the federal government.

Mr Iftikhar also said that the later reopening of the border would be permanent as the federal government had not formally notified its closure.

He said that early closure was a temporary arrangement at local level owing to the uncertainty.

Pakistan had on May 8 imposed ban on cross-border pedestrian movement owing to spike in coronavirus cases throughout Afghanistan. The government, however, allowed Afghans stranded in Pakistan to go back to their country, albeit with legal travelling documents.

Similarly, Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan too were allowed to come back but they were required to undergo Rapid Antigen Tests and later spending 10 days of quarantine period in local hospital.

Afghan students studying in different educational institutions were allowed to come to Pakistan via Torkham and resume their studies after completion of mandatory quarantine period in local quarantine centres.


Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2021

 

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After Torkham , a transit trade was inaugurated for the first time at Ghulam Khan border in the tribal district of North Waziristan . After the transit trade , the Ghulam Khan border will be traded to Central Asia . After Ghulam Khan border was opened , two vehicles of the transit trade arrived from Karachi . Khan Departed to Kabul at the border .

In the opening ceremony was attended by Minister Relief Iqbal Waziristan , Provincial Minister for Transport Shah Muhammad , Deputy Commissioner North Waziristan and Tribal leaders .

The launch of transit trade at Ghulam Khan border will become a source of economic prosperity for Waziristan and Pak Afghan . N further to bilateral trade thousand local people will get employment opportunities through transit trade at Ghulam Khan border .


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All routes should be regulated for taxation purposes. Pakistani govt loses billions of dollars of taxes every year.

 

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Free Trade Agreement To Be Signed Between Iran and Pakistan

Hamid Reza Ghomi, the Iranian Consul General in Peshawar, stated that efforts had been made to conclude a free trade deal between Iran and Pakistan.

According to the Iranian diplomat, despite the Covid-19 outbreak, the Iranian consulate aided Pakistani businesspeople by promptly issuing visas.

He praised Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran for his efforts, adding he was instrumental in developing trade between the two countries. According to the Iranian diplomat, despite the Covid-19 outbreak, the Iranian consulate aided Pakistani businesspeople by promptly issuing visas.
He told businesspeople at the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry that Iran sought to develop regional economic links by boosting bilateral trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan.

Shabaz Bilour asked Iranian investors to engage in hydel power generation, marble, mining, match, furniture, honey, diamonds, and other areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He stated that regional commerce promotion was urgently needed.

Mr Bilour believes there is a significant opportunity to increase commerce between Pakistan and Iran, now valued at $359 million

 

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The Torkham border crossing was opened for commercial vehicles.
According to reports, 100 to 150 trucks arrived in the first 24 hours, while now 300 trucks have crossed the border.

 

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All routes should be regulated for taxation purposes. Pakistani govt loses billions of dollars of taxes every year.

Everything should be checked, no relaxation.
Specially now.

 

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Trade with Afghanistan picks up after fall of Kabul

Mubarak Zeb Khan
August 19, 2021

LABOURERS load crates of garlic from Afghanistan on a truck at the Friendship Gate in the border town of Chaman on Wednesday.—Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Afghanistan saw a sudden rise since the Taliban took control of Kabul on Sunday.

A significant increase was noted in the number of cargo vehicles and pedestrian traffic across the western border.

The volume of bilateral trade had fallen to a very low level in the second week of July when the Taliban captured the Afghan district of Spin Boldak near the Chaman border in Balochistan.

Data compiled by Pakistan’s customs, which administers and governs border customs stations, show that bilateral trade with Afghanistan fell to a historic low on August 15 when only 475 trucks carrying goods — exports, imports and transit goods — crossed border at Torkham, Chaman, Kharlachi and Ghulam Khan.

On August 15, the Taliban took over Kabul and declared its rule over Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid at it’s first press conference on Tuesday said that the Taliban will continue trading with neighboring countries. He said steps will be taken to promote trade.

The movement of trucks across the border reached 1,123 on Wednesday (August 17). “We are expecting that this number will further increase after Muharram,” a senior customs officer told Dawn.

He said the trend over the past couple of days showed that the number of cargo/trucks crossing the border would increase further next week.

It is reported that several pending issues regarding facilitation of trade are expected to be given priority by the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.

“We have held several meetings with Afghan authorities since November last year for resolving these issues,” the customs official said, adding that these issues remained unresolved despite several remainders.

One of the reasons for slowdown in cargo movement, according to drivers of trucks, was that Afghan police and transport ministry officials posted on the Afghan side demanded from drivers between 10,000 and 25,000 Afghanis to let their trucks return to Pakistan.

After the Taliban takeover, according to customs, no such demands were reported.

Last week, during a meeting of the border liaison committee the trade officer of Afghanistan consulate was informed that more than 2,000 empty vehicles/containers had been stuck on the Afghan side.


According to customs data, the number of returning empty vehicles was 13 at Torkham customs stations and 68 at Chaman, while no vehicle returned to Pakistan at Kharlachi and Ghulam Khan on August 15.

On August 17, 86 empty vehicles returned at Torkham and 16 at Chaman, while no vehicle returned at Kharlachi and Ghulam Khan stations.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2021

 

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A Taliban flag is raised on the Afghan side of the Pakistani-Afghan border.

 

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Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers are now guarding the Torkham crossing side-by-side



On the surface, it almost looks normal on this part of the Pakistani-Afghan border.

But a closer look would show how much things have changed.

The tricolour flag of the Republic of Afghanistan has been replaced with the white flag of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, and in place of Afghan border security forces now stand gun-holding bearded Taliban militants.

They are now in control of Torkham - the busiest crossing with Pakistan.

A few days back, hundreds of panicked Afghan civilians gathered here for days, desperate for a way out.
Then what seemed inevitable happened: outnumbered Afghan police forces surrendered to the Taliban.

 

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Pakistan Afghanistan trade picks up as Taliban seize control

Commercial traffic across Afghanistan's border with Pakistan at the Spin Boldak/Chaman crossing picked up on Thursday, traders said, as the shock of the Taliban's lightning seizure of power began to ease and confidence returned.

"Today, many trucks loaded with fresh fruit (from Afghanistan), including famous 'Sunder-Khani' grapes, were cleared at Customs House Chaman," a senior Custom Officer told

He said movement was strong in both directions, with long-bodied trucks loaded with export and Afghan transit goods also going from Pakistan to Afghanistan's Spin Boldak and the nearby provincial capital of Kandahar.

The Pakistani official, who could not be quoted by name, said trade had picked up over recent days after fighting ended in Kandahar last week.