ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The import value of Afghan Transit Trade declined by 23.44 per cent to Rs10.552 billion during the first half (July-Dec) of the current fiscal year as against Rs13.784 billion during the same period last year.

Official figures released here on Saturday showed that the value of ATT in December 2005 declined by 49.3 per cent to Rs2.060 billion as against Rs4.065 billion in the same month last year.

A senior official told Dawn that the decline in imports of goods under the ATT was due to carriage and clearance problems at ports, which resulted in piling up of containers. The priority was given to the clearance of containers meant for earthquake relief purposes, the official said and added this caused a delay in the clearance of ATT containers. However, he said now the problem had been resolved.

Earlier, the official said, only goods imported under the ATT were allowed to be carried through the railways but repeated accidents and shortage of bogies also caused delay in the transportation of goods to Peshawar and Chaman.

He said that the government had now allowed NLC to carry the ATT goods to Peshawar and Chaman for its onward transportation to Afghanistan. Due to these and some other procedural problems, the official said, Afghan importers had started importing goods through Bandar Abbas Port in Iran, as Tehran was providing more facilities to Afghan importers than Pakistan regarding transit trade.

Indians were also exporting goods through the same port to Afghanistan at less cost which also restricted the import under the ATT through Pakistan.

“There is a need that the trade wizards of Pakistan should analyse in depth major legal, financial and administrative issues affecting the cross-border transit trade between the two countries. The review will help identify and assess the key issues in transit goods and vehicles carrying such goods. It will include regulation of vehicle movement across the borders and harmonization of vehicle standards on dimensions, weight, exit loads, emissions, etc,” sources said.

In addition, further potential for document alignment will be assessed to make it responsive to the common requirements of buyers and sellers, banks, insurers, forwarders, port and customs authorities and any others that may be involved in the transit process, they added.

At present the lack of basic infrastructure at the Chamman border crossing is the main bottleneck for the transit traffic to/from Afghanistan.