PESHAWAR, Dec 5: Goods valued at just over Rs150m were transported to Afghanistan via the NWFP under the Afghan Transit Trade during the first 12 days of November, official sources told Dawn.

“The ATT operations are at a complete halt since Nov 13, in line with the federal government instructions,” said the Peshawar-based customs officials.

Before the trade was brought to a standstill in the wake of Taliban government’s ouster from the Afghan capital Kabul on Nov 13, over Rs150m goods had been transported under the ATT during the first 12 days of last month.

Islamabad introduced unannounced moratorium on the ATT following Taliban’s downfall.

Officials said the ATT had been suspended for the war-ravaged country as it did not have a government recognised by Islamabad.

“As Pakistan does not recognize the Northern Alliance’s government, there can’t be more trade at the official level between the two countries,” said the sources.

Furthermore, as Pakistan did not have its diplomatic staff in Afghanistan, the ATT-related affairs could not be taken up with Afghanistan, said the sources, giving one more reason for the trade suspension.

Major items among the goods transported under the ATT to Afghanistan from the NWFP (from Nov 1 to 12) included blankets, agriculture diesel engines, battery cells, crockery (the leftover stocks), motor oil, sewing machines, vacuum jugs, toothpastes, medicines, green tea, bicycles and sugar.

With the Rs150m goods provided passage to Afghanistan, via the NWFP, the total value of goods transported under the ATT from the frontier province to the war-battered country, during the first five months of the current financial year, ended at over Rs2.94bn.

By the end of the first four months of the current fiscal year, goods worth Rs2.8bn had been provided passage from the NWFP under the ATT.