ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has resumed Afghan transit trade on a phased basis following a 10-day suspension, after an “immediate ceasefire” agreement was reached with the Taliban government in Doha, Qatar.
According to officials, around 300 vehicles that had been stranded at various locations are now being cleared, starting with operations through the Chaman border crossing.
Pakistan has now initially resumed ATT operations from Chaman. For the purpose, the Directorate of Transit Trade (Customs) has issued detailed order on Wednesday for the resumption of transit trade cargo operations at the Chaman border crossing
The order said that normal transit trade operations will resume on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis after the clearance of backlog.
The order also outlined a three-phase approach to clear the backlog of stranded consignments that accumulated during the border closure.
The operations will proceed in a systematic manner to process approximately 300 vehicles currently held up at various points along the border route.
In the first phase, nine vehicles that were turned back from the Friendship Gate while waiting to cross the border will be processed.
These consignments will undergo re-weighment and scanning procedures, with any discrepancies triggering a 100% physical inspection inside the NLC Border Terminal.
The second phase will address 74 vehicles that were pushed back from the NLC Border Terminal Yard in Chaman. These too will be subject to re-weighment and scanning, with full inspections conducted when variations are detected.
The third phase involves processing 217 vehicles currently parked in the Halting Yard. These will be cleared for cross-border movement following standard operational procedures.
“Once these backlogs are cleared, normal transit trade operations will resume on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis,” order said.
The order further said that images of all cross-border movements of the returned and pushed-back vehicles be captured at the Friendship Gate and maintained on record for documentation purposes.
The resumption of transit trade operations is expected to provide relief to traders and goods carriers affected by the recent border closure, while ensuring enhanced security checks on all cargo movements between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Chaman border serves as a critical trade route for bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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