Torkham border terminal set to start 24/7 operation.

ISLAMABAD: The National Logistics Cell (NLC) in coordination with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has completed arrangements for round the clock trans-border trade with Afghanistan through the Torkham Border Terminal (TBT), which is expected to be formally opened next week. A ceremony will be held in Torkham which will be attended by high level dignitaries of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The development entails huge benefits for landlocked Afghanistan which will drastically reduce its dependency on ports of other countries. The move will facilitate import export business, reduce congestion and ease travelling between the two countries.

NLC has made additional arrangements for office accommodation of Customs, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and other departments to discharge their duties pertaining to regulation of cargo and passenger movement. More container and baggage scanners, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring, lighting and other amenities have been put in place for smooth functioning of the terminal.

It is worth mentioning that the TBT has brought about a paradigm shift in regulating to and fro movement of passengers and cargoes, which has helped a great deal in curbing the cross border movement of miscreants, illegal...