Daily Times

Pak-Afghan traders shared concerns with the officials of the Directorate of Transit Trade Custom House, Peshawar, over the sluggish flow of Afghan transit trade at Torkham – the key crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They were of the view that after reopening of Torkham border for Afghan transit cargo three days a week (day-light time) from April 10, 2020, the clearance process of the containers slowed down significantly. The traders on both sides attributed various factors that resulted in slackening of transit flow at Torkham.

First, the Afghan transit cargo clearance at Karachi did not stop after border closure on March 16, 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic and kept moving towards the same border crossing point. Some of those containers which got cleared during pre-lockdown period were also en-route to Torkham. This caused congestion of the cargo vehicles at Karachi-Torkham route. Afterwards, reopening of the border in the second week of April, but initially only for three days a week against the large number of inflow transit containers, lead to the additional piling up of containers at the border.

Second, COVID-19 related SOPs also contributed to slowing down the clearance process at Torkham, even after the number of days for of transit cargo to cross-over were increased from three days to six and then to 24/7. Still, the swapping of drivers at zero point, wearing of protective gears, fumigation of Pakistani vehicles on entrance to Afghanistan and vice versa also added to the delay in the clearance.

Third, there is only a single scanner available with National Logistics Cell (NLC) at Torkham, that could not cater to the trade and transit flow across the border. Though, the Directorate of Transit Trade Custom House, Peshawar, in order to ensure speedy clearance of Afghan transit cargo, is now dismounting the tracking device immediately after gate in of the containers.

Fourth, all the stuck-up en-route containers were initially being stopped at NLC terminal at Jamrud (approximately 35 km from Torkham) and Hamza Baba ground at Landi Kotal (approximately 08 km from Torkham) under the supervision of NLC, Police and Frontier Constabulary (FC), respectively. Later, after complaints of rent-seeking at the mentioned points, these were abolished. Now, taking advantage of the situation, some private and unauthorized people established illegal staging point near Bara Link road (approximately 50-55 km from Torkham). They started extortion from the truck owners on account of parking, release of vehicles and out of turn exit.

The sluggish Afghan transit trade calls for attention

These issues are aggravating with each passing day. It is pertinent to note that, since the clearance of Afghan transit cargo is done under the Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APPTTA), 2010 signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan and any road-block in the movement of transit cargo may invoke reciprocal action from the Afghan authorities in clearance of empty containers belonging to the shipping line and bilateral trade as well. Thus, the issue needs to be resolved on urgent basis.

In the view of above-mentioned problems, it is therefore recommended to abolish the private staging point as it is bringing bad name not only to the institutions but to the country as a whole. The NLC yard at Jamrud has enough space to accommodate as many as 350 vehicles at a time. Likewise, the Hamza Baba ground at Landi Kotal is spacious enough to accommodate 400-500 vehicles. These places may be declared as staging points under the transparent supervision of FC and Police. More scanners should be provided at Torkham, for now at least one more should be installed on urgent basis to speed-up the clearance process.

Moreover, COVID-19 related SOPs may be waived off or relaxed for at least 03 weeks to clear all the piled up and stranded Afghan transit containers. Afghan transit may be given priority over import/export at Torkham – as it is the only customs station for transit trade. The export of cement, which constitutes a big chunk of total exports at Torkham, may be diverted to Ghulam Khan to ease congestion at Torkham. Similarly, imports, other than fresh fruits and vegetables, may be diverted to Kharlachi to provide space for forward transit cargo and speedy clearance. The arrangement may be kept for 03 to 04 weeks to clear the backlog of transit consignments.

The writer is Research Fellow at Centre For Research and Security Studies, Islamabad