https://arab.news/ncjpy
- Cargo trucks will be allowed to enter Afghanistan from Pakistan and not vice versa
- Pakistan closed its borders with Afghanistan last month to prevent the spread of coronavirus
PESHAWAR: Pakistan reopened its border crossings in Torkham and Chaman on Friday allowing cargo trucks to cross over to Afghanistan.
The border crossings will be open three days a week, following an agreement reached by Pakistani and Afghan officials on Thursday.
“The outcome of yesterday’s meeting was agreement on the exchange of drivers at zero point. Cargo will start on April 10, only from our side,” a senior official at the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul told Arab News, requesting anonymity.
According to documents seen by Arab News, drivers would take the cargo to zero point before handing over their trucks to Afghan drivers who would drive them up to a designated area, almost one kilometer away. The Afghan drivers will bring the empty trucks or containers back to zero point and hand them over to the Pakistani drivers.
The two sides had agreed on modalities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while allowing the release of large volumes of halted Afghan cargo, according to the documents.
Initially, 4,000 containers stuck at the Torkham border would be sent to Afghanistan.
According to the documents, the Afghan side had conveyed to Pakistan that due to the situation created by coronavirus, more 10,000 Afghan transit consignments had been held inside Pakistan.
The Torkham and Chaman border crossings will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Last month, Pakistan had to seal its borders with Afghanistan and Iran as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The move to reopen the border would save the Afghan business community large demurrage and detention charges and encourage bilateral trade exports from Pakistan, the Afghan Ministry of Commerce said in a letter to Pakistani authorities.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Islamabad had taken the decision on humanitarian grounds on Afghanistan’s request. It said, “As a neighbor and in view of fraternal relations, Pakistan remains in abiding solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, particularly at this time of global pandemic.”
Faiz Muhammad Faizi, executive member of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and vice president of the Pakistan-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News that Islamabad’s initiative to reopen the vital border crossings to resume trade of essential items with Afghanistan was widely viewed as a goodwill gesture.
During the pre-coronavirus times, he recalled, the Pak-Afghan trade volume had gone up to $2.5 billion.
“The Pak-Afghan trade volume keeps on fluctuating because of the nature of the ties between the two countries. Currently, it is around $1.2 billion. But the two neighbors can enhance the volume of trade and take it up to $3.5 billion annually if diplomatic ties normalize between them,” Faizi said.
Pakistan’s main exports to Afghanistan are cement, sugar, ghee, oils, wheat, sugar, industrial material, poultry products, medicines, health care equipment and wood furniture, while it imports fresh and dried fruits, carpets and other perishable items.
Hazrat Nabi Toor, president of Afghanistan Customs Union at Torkham, told Arab News that closure of the border had virtually brought life to a standstill, depriving thousands of workers associated with the transport industry, daily wage laborers and roadside vendors of their livelihood.
“The pandemic has left thousands of customs agents, traders, truckers and mechanics jobless here. Although the lockdown is essential to save lives, people should not be driven to starvation. The border reopening reinvigorates life here and spurs business activities,” he added.