ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: The Afghan government has asked Islamabad to direct the Sindh government to abolish the suspended levy of infrastructure cess on goods imported under Afghan Transit Trade (ATT).

An official source told Dawn on Tuesday that in this connection the Afghan embassy located in Islamabad had sent a letter to the commerce ministry asking for permanent abolishing of the levy of cess on ATT goods.

The Sindh government on the intervention of the federal government has suspended the levy of infrastructure cess till December 31, 2004. According to the official, the ministry would soon take up the issue with the prime minister secretariat. The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) had already sent a letter to Sindh Chief Secretary for waiver of the cess to all goods imported under ATT.

Through the letter, the Afghan government has also complained about the shortage of wagons for transit of goods and charging of high fares on these goods. They asked for the transportation of containers to be allowed on trucks what they believed that transportation with the passenger train was more expensive.