Pakistani transport vehicles restricted to Torkham Town

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Pakistan with effect from Sunday, an official said.  

The eastern Nangarhar governor’s spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, told Pajhwok Afghan News the decision was jointly reached by the Customs Department and the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI)’s Nangarhar chapter.

He said according to the decision from now on Pakistani cargo vehicles could only bring goods to Torkham Township not far from it.   

According to him, commercial goods from Pakistan would be further transferred to other provinces of Afghanistan from Torkham Township in Afghan trucks.

Nangarhar customs department officials said the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and ACCI’s officials had agreed to allowing Pakistani vehicles till Torkham Township and to be unloaded there and then Afghan vehicles would move the goods to other parts of the country.  

The decision comes as Pakistan does not allow Afghan traders to transfer their commodities’ loaded vehicles to India through Pakistan.

President Ashraf Ghani a few days earlier warned Pakistan that if the country didn’t let Afghan vehicles transfer goods via Wagah Port to India then Pakistan wouldn’t be allowed to transport goods to central Asian countries through Afghanistan.

sns/ma