Pakistan: Customs agents halt trade clearance amid new regulations

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], October 16, (ANI): Customs clearing agents at the Torkham border have halted the clearance of trade goods, both imports and exports, in response to a new policy recently enacted by the authorities.
The protesting agents argue that customs officials are demanding full details of the vehicles transporting import items from Afghanistan before they arrive at the Torkham border, without any prior weighing or electronic scanning.
They contend that they cannot comply with this new rule, as customs authorities could hold them responsible for the seizure of any contraband discovered in containers during subsequent electronic scans. Recently, customs staff recovered ammunition from an import vehicle during such checks, as reported by Dawn.
The clearing agents maintain that customs officials insist on receiving a joint goods declaration (GD) copy only after gate-in clearance is completed. In contrast, they prefer the previous system of goods clearance, which involved weighing and scanning the vehicle first, followed by providing the GD copy for each examined vehicle.
Earlier, on September 11, people in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province held protests over the closure of the Torkham. According to the protesters, Pakistan regularly closed the Torkham border under various pretexts during the fruit and vegetable season.
Notably, this road serves as a key lifeline for Afghanistan, connecting Pakistan's Peshawar to Afghanistan's Jalalabad and further on to the capital, Kabul. The Torkham border is an important transit point for people travelling between the two nations and for transferring goods.
It has been a focal point for various issues due to its strategic significance and ongoing regional tensions. Although the border area has seen investment in infrastructure, improvements have often been hampered by security concerns and political instability.
The region has experienced violence and attacks from militant groups. long customs procedures and bureaucratic inefficiencies have led to significant delays and congestion at the border, negatively affecting trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (ANI)