Thursday October 26, 2017
Kabul (BNA) Afghanistan government in a decree has banned Pakistani trucks from entering Afghanistan. According to the decree, Pakistani trucks will have to offload their goods and transfer them to Afghan trucks in Nangarhar and Kandahar customs.
The move came after increasing insecurities and continuous terrorist attacks in Kabul and other provinces such as Paktia and Kandahar where a number of our countrymen have been martyred and injured.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson to ministry of commerce Musafer Quqandi has considered issuing of recent presidential decree as a reason for supporting domestic private transport and said, “The decision has been made by the country’s President for the support of private transportation as capability of our transportations has increased in the past 15 years.”
Based on the Afghanistan and Pakistan Trade Agreement (APTA), both countries were obliged to let transit trucks enter each other’s country, but the agreement has expired and it still not extended.
It is said that the Afghanistan and Pakistan Trade Agreement was signed between the two countries in 2010.
Officials for ministry of transport have said that Pakistan had repeatedly banned Afghan trucks from entering Pakistan and the problem has now increased soon after APTA expired.
Both ministry of transport and chamber of commerce and industries of Afghanistan have considered Afghanistan government’s decision as similar step against Pakistan’s decisions.
Considering the decision made by Afghanistan and Pakistan governments as negative impact on trade between the two countries, deputy of Afghanistan chamber of commerce and industries Khanjan Alokozay said, “The main cause is Pakistan had already banned Afghan trucks from entering Pakistan, so Afghanistan also took similar decision and banned Pakistani trucks from entering Afghanistan.”
“If Pakistan lets Afghan trucks enter the country’s Karachi and Waga, Afghanistan will take similar step and will let Pakistani trucks enter Afghanistan,” Alokozay added.
Although Afghanistan government has considered the decision as economical and for the support of private sector, but some security experts believe that the decision has security impetus.
They also believe that Afghanistan government has made a good decision, adding that reason of the decision was to prevent of misusing of Pakistan from transit trucks for terrorist acts.
Taj Mohammad Talash, an Afghan economic expert says I consider this decision made by President Ghani as key in economical affairs as it is not the first time Pakistan has violated world trade principles. 0Based on statistics of Afghanistan chamber of commerce and industries, more than 7000 Pakistan trucks have until now entered into Afghanistan via Torkham and Spin Boldak borders and transported their much goods through the borders into other Central Asian countries.
Shukria Kohistani
