April 9, 2003	Wednesday	Safar 6, 1424

KARACHI, April 8: President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo has expressed concern over expanding the list of items to be imported under Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA).

Eight items have been removed from the negative list of Afghan Transit Trade, without consulting the representatives of trade and industry, he said in a statement.

Items like ball bearing, juicer blenders, video and audio cassettes, VCP, timers etc., in the context of Afghan war-ravaged economy and deep-rooted poverty would not generally be required in Afghanistan and as such would ultimately find their way into Pakistan, thus destabilizing the local prices of these items, and badly affecting the genuine importers.

Maggo stated that without any textile industry in Afghanistan, the import of cotton yarn and polyester yarn under the ATT was not understandable. It is, therefore, certain that these items would also be re-entered into Pakistan.

The KCCI chief apprehended that all the goods imported under the ATT would ultimately enter into the local market, thus incurring heavy losses to the national exchequer and also causing losses to the genuine importers.

He said that ATT, in a historic perspective, has been the main source of smuggling and as such the it must be rationalized and streamlined, keeping in view the national interests. He argued that the permission to import the above items under ATT without any check would pose problems both to local industry as well as to trade.

He suggested that before allowing these goods under ATT the government should find out the total demand of these products in Afghanistan.

He urged the government to evolve a mechanism whereby the customs duty imposed in Afghanistan on the import of these items, must be collected in Pakistan, to be reimbursed afterwards to Afghan government after the delivery of these items.