Trade resumes but no imports from Afghanistan

INDIAN TRADERS

SUSPECT PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT’S MAY BE HINDERING FREE MOVEMENT OF TRUCKS FROM AFGHANISTAN

AMRITSAR: Despite opening of trade with Afghanistan, zero import has been witnessed through the Attari-Wagah border, 28km from Amritsar, in the last 15 days.

Indian traders suspect Pakistan government’s design of not allowing free movement of trucks from Afghanistan as the reason behind this. They said that since opening of trade, many Indian importers had placed orders for goods from Afghanistan, but no truck was being allowed to cross the Chaman border in Pakistan.

Cross-border trade and movement of passengers through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari had remained suspended for over two months as a precautionary measure to check spread of coronavirus. Trade between India and Afghanistan was resumed on May 28. And Pakistan had opened Chaman and Torkham border crossings for trade and civilian movement between Afghanistan and Pakistan mid-May.

The ICP had been witnessing over Rs 1,000 crore trade with Afghanistan every year. Indian traders import dry fruit, herbs, cumin and liquorice (mulethi) from Afghanistan.

On the first day of trade resumption, a truck of imported dry fruit from Afghanistan had crossed over at the ICP. However, from May 29 till date, no other Afghan truck has entered the ICP, said Land Port Authority of India (LPIA)’s ICP manager Sukhdev Singh. Another LPAI official said, “We got information that an Afghani truck carrying goods reached Wagah border in Pakistan two days ago, but the truck has not crossed over to India till Saturday. There may be some problems on Pakistan side due to coronavirus, which may have been hampering import.”

Indian traders have alleged the Pakistan government of deliberately not allowing import from Afghanistan to India. “Pakistan is not allowing goods movement through the Chaman border,” said Federation of Karyana and Dry Fruit Association president Anil Mehra.

He demanded that the Imran Khan government should allow movement of trucks from Afghanistan and open trade between India and Pakistan. “With opening of India-Pakistan trade the economy of both countries will be boosted and relations will be improved. We have demand resumption of Samjhauta Express between both the countries,” said another Amritsar-based trader. In the wake of the Pulwama attack in February 2019, the Indian government had revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status given to Pakistan and raised customs duty on every item being imported from Pakistan to 200%.