Commercial properties of Afghans are still under seizure in Islamabad

According to the regional office of Tasnim News Agency, “Naqibullah Safi”, the executive head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, announced that despite the promise of the Islamabad authorities, no container has been cleared from Karachi and three thousand containers of Afghan traders are still impounded in this port.

According to news published, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Pakistan last week in a meeting with The Minister of Trade and Industry of the Taliban had promised to immediately clear the commercial goods of Afghan traders in Karachi, and a day after this meeting, the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan has ordered the Karachi port authorities to release the seized transit goods of Afghan traders only once without the need for Bank and financial guarantees should be cleared.

Naqibullah Safi clarified: After this order, the government of Pakistan has once again ordered the Karachi port authorities to wait!

On October 15/Mizan, the interim government of Pakistan announced that Afghan traders, before clearing their transit goods from the port of Karachi, must provide a bank guarantee for the price of the goods and for a number of goods that are likely to be smuggled. It exists inside Pakistan, ten percent of the total value of goods is taxed.

These goods include sweets, shoes, clothes and apparel, mechanical and electrical machinery, blankets and household appliances.

According to the officials of Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, there is no tax in the transit trade sector, but Islamabad imposes ten percent tax on these goods of Afghan traders.

The interim government of Pakistan claims that it took this decision because of the smuggling of transit goods by Afghan traders inside Pakistan. Because the transit goods imported by Afghan traders through the port of Karachi are either sold in Pakistan or smuggled back into the Pakistani market from Afghanistan, and Pakistan considers this to be detrimental to its country’s economy.

Nurlalah Mubariz, a member of the Taliban Chamber of Commerce and Investment in Nangarhar Province, says: This claim by Pakistan is not true, but a ruse and an excuse, and its purpose is to inflict an economic blow on Afghan businessmen and weaken them.

On the other hand, Afghan businessmen say: about 400 more containers have been seized in Karachi, which are on the negative list of the Pakistani government, this list includes commercial items. It is possible that Pakistan does not allow Afghan businessmen to enter Afghanistan through transit. Cigarettes were included in this list of Pakistan, but recently the interim government of Pakistan has banned the transfer of 212 goods through transit to Afghanistan.

Karachi port is the closest route for Afghan traders. . But Kabul has always accused Islamabad of using this port for political pressure.

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