Trade with Afghanistan restored via Torkham, Ghulam Khan.

KHYBER/NORTH WAZIRISTAN -- Import of Afghan goods and export of Pakistani products through Torkham and Ghulam Khan border crossings were restored on Monday after three months.

Pakistani importers at Torkham in Khyber tribal district border told Dawn that arrival of import vehicles from Afghanistan was first delayed by a ceremony at the Afghan side of the border and later due to some technical fault in the scanning machine on Pakistan side.

They said that at least 50 vehicles of fruits and vegetables while 10 vehicles of coal crossed over into Pakistan till late af ternoon. One truck loaded with sulphur also arrived at Pakistan side of the border.

National Logistic Cell has arranged for disinfecting of all the vehicles coming from Afghanistan by installing a large disinfecting gate.

Sources said that authorities of both the neighbouring countries had agreed to hand over loaded vehicle coming from Afghanistan to a local driver for its onward journey in Pakistan, instead of shifting the goods to another vehicle.

They said that most of the vegetables and fruits perished during shifting to another vehicle while coal had the risk of catching fire during the process in the hot summer. So it was decided thatPakistani importers would arrange for local drivers to take their import merchandise to the required destination inside Pakistan in Afghan vehicles, they added.

The ofhcialshadearlier agreed tokeep the border open round the clock for six days a week while strictly observing the Covid-19 induced standard operating procedures.

Azeemullah Shinwari, a local transporter, while welcoming resumption of bilateral trade, said that most of transporters and importers were not sure about the resumption of import from Afghanistan and the number of vehicles was less as compared to the number of vehicles both the countries had earlier agreed to allow to come to Pakistan.

He said that 259 to 300 vehicles would come from Afghanistan on daily basis, six days a week while a similar number of vehicles carrying Pakistani export goods and Afghan Transit Trade goods would go to Afghanistan.

He said that resumption of import would boost bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and would also help to generate employment opportunities for local people, who had suffered financial losses owing to suspension of trade activities.

However, local poultry exporters said that thousands of chicks perished due to heat and suf focation as custom authorities didn`t clear...