Express Transit starts for Afghanistan, Pakistan ports adopted the express consignment clearance system

Afghanistan is landlocked country surrounded by Russia, Pakistan and Iran. Afghans have no connection with the sea however, Pakistan and Iran are only countries which can facilitate the sea cargo from UK, Europe, and USA and from the entire world.

Pakistan is also a strategic partner of Afghan war against terror and shares a lot of religious and cultural values with the Afghanis.

Pakistan has decided to facilitate the Afghan cargo coming from anywhere in the world. Pakistan has reduced the scanning process of Afghan transit cargo by 80 percent. The Karachi port has cleared almost 90 percent of cargo on the first day when it arrived at the port.

Afghan traders had long been asking for the speedy transit but Pakistani ports were causing delays in the imports and exports of goods due to strict security and checking procedures. Khurram Dastgir Khan, the Minister of Commerce has said in Kabul yesterday that Pakistani ports and security agencies at ports will only select 20 percent cargo to be scanned at the ports. However 90 percent cargo consignments will be released within 24 to 48 hours. Before this announcement, 100 percent of the entire cargo had to pass through the scanning process at the ports.

Minister of Commerce has finished his three day visit with this positive note to help the Afghanistan. President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani and Chief executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah has appreciated the help from Pakistan. The inaugural session of the exhibition of Pakistani products was attended by the senior officials of new Afghan government.

The commerce minister told media that Pakistan has also allowed the Afghan truckers to carry cargo to Pakistan and pass over India, all the way through Wagah border but they cannot come back with Indian goods or even empty.

They must bring Pakistani products on their way back to Afghanistan. This will help the SMEs in Pakistan to initiate trade with Afghani traders

Acting commerce minister of Afghanistan, Muammil Shinwari acknowledged Pakistani efforts towards Afghan transit trade and said that the 80 percent of transit trade problems have been solved in these three days.

Pakistan Railways will also help this transit trade process and will carry 400 afghan cargo containers per week to the Torkham and Chaman borders by the 1^st week of July this year. Pakistan and Afghanistan will also finalise the Professional Trade Agreement soon which will help in removing any financial guarantees on Pakistani goods, currently charged at the rate of 110 percent of custom duty.