‘No Indian goods to be allowed to Afghanistan through Pakistan’

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday, that under the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Arrangement (APTTA), only transport of trade goods from Afghanistan would be allowed and that to up to Wahga border only while no Indian goods would be transported to Afghanistan through this route.

While addressing a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, he said that only a letter of understanding has been signed for this purpose so far.

“Confusion is prevailing from the very first day in this regard and reports, editorials and special reports contrary to the facts and against the interests of the country are being published,” said the minister.

“The letter of understanding has been signed for one way transit trade facility for Afghan goods up to Wahga border, and not for reverse trade from India. This would be a bilateral agreement under which Pakistan would allow Afghan goods export to India via Wahga border and Kabul will provide transit facility to Pakistani goods to Central Asians States (CARs),” he said.

Kaira said that it was regrettable that despite the fact that even though the government made it very clear right at the outset that the transit facility would only be for Afghan goods, now on the third day of the news, a section of press has carried editorial comments and special reports on the assumption that Indian trade through Pakistan would be against our interests.

To a question, he said that Pakistan Customs would evaluate the Afghan goods at the Torkham border, seal the containers and issue bank bonds, which would only be returned after the goods are handed over to India at Wahga border. He also made it clear that only a letter of understanding in this regard has been signed till now and an MoU would be signed only after approval of the cabinet after which it would become a bilateral agreement, but it has been decided that no Indian goods would be allowed to be imported from India through this route.
Further elaborating, Kaira said under this arrangement, Pakistan would benefit more because in Afghanistan there is no industrial set up, while our goods being exported to CARs by air cargo or by sea route would become more competitive by transit trade through Afghan land route. He added that Afghanistan is also using Pakistani seas to export goods to India so it is not a new phenomenon.
To a question, the minister said the federal government has the authority to sign bilateral agreement with any country.
However, he said the government has taken into confidence PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and other stockholders on the issue.
He said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had talked to the PML-N chief and discussed various issues including APTTA and Pak-US strategic dialogue.
He said that he himself and Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim had already clarified the issue and even issued a press release to explain the factual situation but even after that the negative comments continued. While responding to a query over the reservations of transporters, the minister said that the government would take the transporters into confidence on the issue. He opined that by transit trade through Afghanistan and Pakistani transporters would greatly benefit. Kaira said that Pakistan also desires to enhance its trade with neighboring India but before that it was necessary to settle outstanding issues including Kashmir.