KHYBER: At least two cargo containers loaded with pulses and other goods arrived at Torkham late on Friday from Russia under the Transport International Route (TIR) agreement.

Officials said that the consignment, the first of its type, was part of the TIR bilateral trade treaty signed with Russia in March this year during the Moscow visit of Federal Minister for Communication Asad Mehmood.

They said that with the signing of the agreement and the arrival of the first consignment, the two countries were now formally linked through bilateral trade.

“The two vehicles were allowed to proceed to their destination in Pakistan after clearance from customs authorities at Torkham,” they said.

50 LPG tankers stranded at Afghan border as entry to Pakistan denied

Zaheer Ullah, Vice President, Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said that trade with Russia was essential to pull the country out of the current financial quagmire. He urged the federal government to relax import policies and devise workable and practical SROs (Statutory Regulatory Orders) for the promotion of bilateral trade.

Customs officials said that Pakistan has the potential to export rice, medicine, fresh fruit and vegetables, along with sports gear, while it could import textiles and textile machinery from Russia.

LPG tankers

Meanwhile, at least 50 tankers carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) imported from Uzbekistan were refused entry into Pakistan via the Torkham border due to the lack of an Electronic Import Form (EIF). The tankers have been stranded at the Afghan side of the border, near Jalalabad, for the last month. All 50 tankers returned to Jalalabad after they were denied entry at the border.

Customs authorities had earlier on June 13 granted a one-time waiver from production of EIF to Tatara Enterprises Pvt Ltd, the importer of at least 15 such tankers after these arrived at Torkham. Officials said that the EIF was a basic requirement for payment to the exporter of the consignment and later the issuance of goods declaration form at the time of customs clearance.

Tatara Enterprises had signed a deal with Uzbekistan early this year to import 60,000 tonnes of LPG as it was direly needed at local markets for its cheaper prices.

Mujeebullah Shinwari, a customs clearing agent responsible for clearing the remaining LPG tankers, told Dawn that they had engaged in lengthy discussions with customs authorities in Peshawar, as well as officials from the commerce and petroleum ministries in Islamabad. These officials insisted on the acquisition of EIF while also presenting the option of importing LPG in the future through barter trade, which was recently introduced by the federal government.

He said that his company was currently in the process of procuring EIF in order to clear all the remaining tankers. The urgency to clear these tankers arose due to the highly flammable nature of LPG, which posed a significant risk if kept for an extended period of time.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2023