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Transporters need ministry’s permission for Afghan trade
ISLAMABAD: The ministry of commerce has asked all transport operators to obtain a “temporary admission document” (TAD) by June 15 in order to carry out operations under the bilateral trade arrangement between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“No vehicle will be allowed to carry on bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan after June 15 without obtaining a TAD,” a commerce ministry notification said on Monday.
During a visit by a Pakistani delegation to Kabul in March, Islamabad had agreed upon a plan to separate cargo movement and passenger crossings at border stations to continue unfettered bilateral trade and facilitate transit to Central Asian states.
As part of this arrangement, the two ministries of commerce agreed to implement the TAD mechanism with effect from May 1 this year to streamline and regulate the movement of cargo vehicles between the two countries.
At the same time, transport operators of Pakistan-registered vehicles have been advised to apply at the directorate general’s office in Peshawar or Quetta for registration of their trucks to operate under the TAD mechanism.
According to the commerce ministry, the first vehicle from Afghanistan carrying coal crossed into Pakistan on Monday.
According to the procedure notified by the ministry, TAD applications for Afghan-registered vehicles will be received on all working days at the Pakistan embassy in Kabul and the consulate in Kandahar from 11am to 12 noon daily.
Likewise, applications for Pakistan-registered vehicles will be received at the Afghan consulates in Quetta and Peshawar.
The TAD will be issued within five working days of receipt of applications.
The fee will be charged for issuing TAD of Vehicle only. However, the TAD pass for drivers and cleaners of that vehicle, will be free of cost.
The temporary admission document will be valid for one vehicle at a time and only for the carrier to whom it was issued. It will not be transferable to other carriers.
The fee for a TAD is $100 and it will be valid for six months.
Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2024
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