PESHAWAR, Dec 4: The traders and business community of Chitral have urged the government to sanction customs and immigration checkpoints at three locations in their area to facilitate cross border economic activity and tourism between Afghanistan and Pakistan through Chitral.

These demands of local traders are soon going to be presented to the NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani on his expected visit to Citral, said a local businessman Shahzada Mohiuddin.

The traders and tour operators would be benefited if the government establishes customs and immigration checkpoints at Arandu, Dorah and Boroghul passes, it would facilitate cross border business activities as Chitral borders with three Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nooristan and Badakshan with a narrow strip of Afghan territory separating it from Tajikistan border.

The establishment of these checkpoints at the three passes would not only help curb the menace of smuggling but also formalize bilateral trade.

"Tourists visiting the Northern Areas can get their visas extended at Gilgit but tourists in Chitral are forced to travel to Islamabad to get the same thereby fending off potential tourists. In this process the residents involved in tourism industry were deprived of earning dollars", said a businessman.

The people of Chitral in the past 15 years have used the Kunnar route, running along Chitral river with no mountains, to reach Peshawar when Lawari Top is closed. The US government is metalling this road and after the establishment of the customs and immigration points not only the entrance of the non-custom paid vehicles could be checked but the local traders bringing goods from other parts of Pakistan and imports from China can export the same into Afghanistan.

"Many low priced minerals deposits are currently abundant in Chitral but they never reach market as trucks on Lawari pass can not carry loads over seven tons. The Kunnar route would allow to carry more than 20 tons which will boost the economy of Chitral.

The directorate of mines and minerals has identified 14 different sites for gold and base metals here some of them can be counted among the best deposits in the world, the traders said.

Chitral has also dimensional stone potential like marble, serpentine, granite and slate. The traders demanded that the government should declare Chitral as an export processing zone.