Daily Times

For exports to Afghanistan and Central Asia, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, President of the FPCCI, has demanded that the Chaman border be restored right away. It’s been over a month since the Chaman border has been closed; he said that the Torkham border remains open.

MN Hyatt Maggo stated that Pakistani SMEs are already facing unprecedented difficulties because of numerous negative factors such as COVID-19, the depreciation of the Pakistan Rupee, regional instabilities, and rising fuel and logistics costs as well as taxation authorities’ excessiveness. Mian Nasser H He stated that the government should do the bare minimum to help traders where it is possible without exerting too much effort.

While border commerce accounts for 70% or more of all countries’ trade, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo said that in Pakistan, border trade has always been hindered by a lack of support and facilitation. He went on to say that closing the Chaman border will simply exacerbate the current situation.

In order to help importers and exporters who rely on the Chaman border for commerce with Afghanistan, Mr. Nasir Khan, VP FPCCI, asked that the Pakistani government consider quickly reopening it. A humanitarian crisis is imminent in Pakistan, and a supply of basic food goods from that country is urgently needed there as well.

Also, because the Chaman border is Pakistan’s main commerce route with Afghanistan, Mr. Nasir Khan pointed out that fresh fruits worth millions of dollars are being damaged on both sides of the border owing to delays and contributing to food inflation.

He explained that exporters in Pakistan are experiencing unsustainable losses of up to 100 million rupees per day to traders in Pakistan, Mr. Nasir Khan stated. To that end, he urged the Pakistani authorities to move quickly in their negotiations with their Afghan colleagues in order to achieve a win-win settlement and a working system as soon as possible.”

FPCCI chief proposed that Pakistan should aggressively fill the void left in Afghanistan by the existing conditions and grow exports to Afghanistan proportionately and sustainably, and compete with other regional and geographically adjacent countries. Because of the authorities’ inaction and delay tactics, Pakistani exporters have suffered historically; we shouldn’t miss the bus this time around, he added.