LANDI KOTAL: Exports to Afghanistan remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as the local customs clearing agents continued with their strike against the opening of a new National Logistics Cell terminal in Jamrud.

Officials of both the local political administration and customs department on the Torkham border said over 1,000 trucks loaded with fresh fruits, vegetable, meat, fish and chickens had been stranded on the border due to the strike.

Though peaceful, the protesters said they wouldn’t help clear the movement of all sorts of goods to Afghanistan until their grievances were addressed.

President of the Customs Clearing Agents Association Zarqeeb Khan Shinwari alleged that the customs authorities were forcing fresh fruit and vegetable exporters to clear their merchandise at the newly-established NLC terminal in Jamrud and thus, depriving hundreds of his colleagues on Torkham from their only source of livelihood.

He said his association had repeatedly offered free land for the construction of a new terminal in Torkham to handle the growing exports to Afghanistan, but the offer didn’t get a positive response from the relevant authorities.

Mr. Shinwari denied the Torkham border terminal couldn’t take additional load of an expanding Pakistan-Afghanistan trade and insisted he had seen clearance of over 4,000 loaded trucks daily there five years ago.

Clearing agent and cement exporter Nasir Khan said the annual revenue generated by the customs clearance on Torkham had reached $3.5 billion and that it could go up to $5 million if an additional terminal was established there.

“Torkham border is the country’s second highest revenue generating port after Karachi port, so establishing a parallel terminal 40 kilometers from the border will adversely affect trade with Afghanistan,” he said.

Mr. Nasir said the international rules called for the establishment of customs clearance facility at zero point of any international border.

Assistant collector (customs) in Torkham Najeeb Arjumand said he and his staff members were ready to clear all vehicles but the protesting clearing agents didn’t cooperate with them.

“It is purely a legal issue and only the Federal Board of Revenue in Islamabad is authorised to take a final decision on it,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2016