ISLAMABAD, Aug 29: Goods transported to Afghanistan via NWFP and Balochistan under the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) recorded a decrease of 14.93 per cent in the fiscal year 2005-06, over the previous year owing to poor infrastructure and delay in clearance of goods at the ports.

The value of all goods imported under the ATT touched Rs18.495 billion during the fiscal year 2005-06 as against Rs21.742 billion the previous fiscal year, indicating a decline of Rs3.247 billion.

Officials told Dawn on Tuesday that in case the government did not remove bottlenecks in the smooth flow of ATT, Afghan importers might consider diverting their trade to Bandar Abbas port in Iran.

The officials who regulate the transit trade, however, see no actual reasons for this huge fall despite the fact that the government has reduced the number of items in the negative list from 24 items to only two items.

A leading Peshawar-based importer told Dawn that the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan for the last few months resulted in a decline in the trade flow. He said the re-emergence of Taliban in Afghanistan was another factor, besides the disruption of railway traffic in Hyderabad that delayed the transportation of ATT goods.

The importer said a long list of irritants restricting the trade had already been provided to the federal government but no action had so far been taken. "If the situation remains the same for the next couple of months, the ATT is likely to come to a complete halt," added the importer.

A senior commerce ministry official said the Afghan importers were facing the problems of railway carriages and clearance at ports. "We are considering the issue to further facilitate the trade," he added.

The officials said there was a need to asses all trade facilitation arrangements, including port clearance and storage fees and other levies at ports and border crossings, and ascertain the validity of such assessment.

“The review should identify and assess key issues on transit goods and vehicles carrying such goods. In addition, further potential for document alignment need to be assessed to make it responsive to the common requirements of buyers and sellers, banks, insurers, forwarders, port and customs authorities and any others involved in the transit process,” the added.

At present Afghanistan transit traffic (export and import goods) is transported through Chamman and Torkham at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. There is a lack of proper cross-border facilities at the two border towns, including parking bays for trucks/buses, cargo inspection sheds, weigh bridges, loading/unloading equipment, communication/power facilities, customs/immigration counters, banking, insurance services, etc.