LAHORE, Oct 2: The import of fresh vegetables and frozen meat from India through Wagha, on any given day, has doubled after the two countries allowed cross-border movement of trucks for transportation of cargo from Oct 1.

Customs officials told Dawn on Tuesday that 20 Indian trucks – 18 carrying tomatoes and two frozen meat – had crossed over to the Pakistani side on Tuesday. Only two trucks had crossed over on Monday when the cross-border truck movement began.

“The volume of cargo coming from India by road through Wagha on any given day has more than doubled,” senior customs official Tauqir Dar told Dawn. “Only 8 to 10 trucks used to bring goods from India before the new arrangement was put in place. But the move to allow the trucks to drive inside each other’s territory to designated points has suddenly boosted the volumes,” he said.

Pakistani trucks carrying dry fruit are scheduled to leave for India on Thursday, Dar said.

Pakistan and India agreed to allow cross-border movement of trucks for transporting cargo across the only land trade route of the Wagha-Attari crossing in a meeting of their trade officials on Aug 20 this year.

The agreement allows cargo trucks from one side to go to designated points on the other side of the border and unload truck-to-truck. Indian trucks can come 200 metres inside Pakistan and Pakistani trucks are allowed to go 400 metres inside India.

Until Sept 30 trucks were unloaded beyond the dividing line on both sides of the border and cargo unloaded and transferred to the importing country by porters.

“The manual unloading of cargo used to take a lot of time. But the new arrangement of truck-to-truck unloading on each other’s territory saves time, making it possible for exporters from both the countries to send more cargo on any given day than ever before.

The move is being hailed as a landmark in the history of Indo-Pak trade relations. It is the beginning of a new era of direct trade links between the two countries, say officials, who hailed the new arrangement as a sign of improving bilateral business ties.

They hope that it will boost the trade volumes because it enables the traders to export goods in bulk.

A Maple Leaf Cement Company official said the cross-border movement of trucks for cargo transportation will prove a boon for cement exports to India. But, he said, the problem of shortage of trucks is likely to hamper the effort in the near future.

“Our business relations with India have always been clouded by the Kashmir and other political disputes. Unless some progress is made on these issues, one should not expect a major breakthrough in the area of bilateral trade as a result of such trade facilitation measures,” a former president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who refused to give name, said.

But, he hastily added, political disputes must not deter governments of the two countries from making progress on bilateral trade and business ties.

The two countries also plan to have a separate dedicated trade gate at the border to facilitate movement of trucks inside each other’s territory.

Drivers of the trucks crossing over will wear bright yellow jackets specifying “Driver India” and “Driver Pakistan” and will be issued special one-day entry permits.