PESHAWAR: In a joint press statement issued here on Saturday, Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) senior vice-president Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, former SVP Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Manzoor Elahi and Ahmad Shah Yarzada, Board Director PAJCCI Afghan chapter, said that irreparable losses
caused due to closure of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has affected the lives of millions of people due to its negative impact on the economy of the region.
“The ground reality is that hundreds of millions of people in the region live below the poverty line, and closure of bilateral and transit trade has only added fuel to the fire by deepening their hardships,” the statement said quoting the traders.
They said the trade should be kept separate from politics, as bilateral and transit trade sustains millions of poor families across the region. However, the continued
suspension of trade has deprived countless households of their livelihoods, making it increasingly difficult for parents to provide food and education for their children, they added.
“There are over 10,000 containers of Afghan Transit trade cargo stranded inside Pakistan exposed to heavy demurrage and detention charges for the past three months,” the communique said.
Referring to use of Karachi ports for Afghan transit trade, the businessmen said Afghanistan import volume as transit via Karachi is around 40,000-45,000 containers per annum.
