Daily Times

Two hundred and fifty export-loaded vehicles and the same number of import-loaded vehicles to be crossed in and out at Torkham border, to be functioned from Monday, 22, June, 2020, decision made in a joint meeting of Pak and Afghan officials held at the border on Wednesday.

In a joint moot, Brigadier Shaukat Rana, Commandant Khyber Rifles Col Bilal, Deputy Commissioner, Khyber Mehmood Aslam Wazir, Deputy Collector Inam Wazir, Major(R)Shafiq (NLC),Assistant Commissioner, Landi Kotal ,Muhammad Imran represented the Pakistan side while from Afghanistan Nasratullah, Director Custom Jalalabad, Col Aleem, Tila Muhammad of Transport union and Haji Gul Murab, Chamber of Commerce participated in the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to formulate a model to resume import and export keeping in view the COVID 19.

Various issues pertaining increases of export and import, early sending of export and import vehicles after unloading, issue of immigrants, hidden in empty trucks, demand of Afghan government to recommence 24/7 etc were thoroughly discussed.

The officials agreed to increase export and import to 250 each, the Pakistani trucks will be handed over to Afghan driver at zero point of Torkham and similarly the Afghan vehicles will be driven by the Pak drivers at crossing point.

The owners of the vehicles would bear the expenses in case of any damage to the trucks, the officials agreed.

The Afghan officials lauded efforts of the Pak officials to kept functional the terminal in the uncertain environment and said with join struggle they could enhance trade of the two neighbouring countries, however the Afghan drivers asked the Pak officials to revise the decision of collecting Rs.1000 per truck in scanner, installed by the National Logistic Cell(NLC) at export terminal in Torkham.