April 21, 2020
The government has operationalized Gwadar Port for Afghan Transit Trade under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 2010, said Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Razzak Dawood. The advisor made this announcement on Twitter.
He added that the operationalization of Gwadar port for Afghan Transit fulfills a long-standing request of the business community & the shipping industry, paving the way for generating business opportunities & employment both in Gwadar & on the highways.
The move will also jump-start port operations in Gwadar and create the necessary eco-system for another big seaport of Pakistan, he added.
Earlier the Ministry of Commerce allowed import of Afghan bulk cargo of wheat, sugar, and fertilizers at the Gwadar Port, and onward transit to Afghanistan.
The decision was taken at the request of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), Gwadar International Terminals Limited and other stakeholders. They had requested the ministry to allow the import of Afghan bulk cargo at the Gwadar Port and transit to Afghanistan in sealable trucks.
The ministry’s notification reads:
The petitions have been examined in light of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) 2010, and in view of the provisions of the APTTA, the petitions of the stakeholders, and for the sake of efficient and cost-effective operationalization of the Gwadar Port and the western-corridor of the CPEC, the import of Afghan bulk-cargo of wheat, sugar, and fertilizers at the Gwadar Port and onward transit to Afghanistan shall be permitted in a bonded carrier, insured and sealable trucks having a tracking device installed on them.
