Pakistan imposes processing fee on Afghan transit trade items

ISLAMABAD: In a move to curb the illegal entry of goods into the country, Pakistan imposed a 10 percent processing fee on several items imported under the Afghan transit trade agreement, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 18D of the Customs Act, 1969 (IV of 1969), the Federal Government is pleased to impose processing fee at the rate of 10 percent ad valorem on the following Afghan transit Commercial goods imported into Afghanistan in transit via Pakistan,” said a customs department notification.

The items affected include confectioneries, chocolates, footwear, various machinery, blankets, home textiles, and garments.

The fee, calculated as 10 percent ad valorem based on the original value of goods, must be paid in advance during the declaration process for Afghan transit commercial goods.

However, the notification pointed out that goods declarations filed before October 3 will not be subject to these new provisions.

The decision comes at a time when the caretaker government has ordered all illegal foreign immigrants, including Afghan nationals, to leave the country by November 1 or face expulsion.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on smugglers involved in transporting commodities and dollars to Afghanistan. The crackdown bore fruit as Pakistani rupee recovered sharply against US dollar.

Recently, Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmad Bugti said that any personnel of security forces found involved in cross-border smuggling will be court-martialed.

“It won’t be right to say that security forces weren’t involved in cross-border smuggling, as smuggled items are transported via trucks, not camels,” the caretaker minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

Sarfraz Bugti noted that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir had told military personnel that whoever is found involved in illegal cross-border trade would not only be court-martialed but also be sent to jail.